Blood From a Stone (34 page)

S
he
s
m
il
ed
at
S
a
m
son
as
he
s
li
d
i
n
c
l
o
se
r
,
r
eached ac
r
oss
t
he dog
and
t
ook
her
hand
i
n h
i
s
o
w
n.

“
I
s
i
t
o
k
ay 
i
f
I
ho
l
d
y
our
hand?
A
nd
no, 
I
’
m
not p
r
esu
m
i
ng
an
y
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se.
I
’
m
j
ust
ho
l
d
i
ng
y
our
hand.”

S
he
nodded,
s
m
ili
ng
as
she
r
es
t
ed
her
head
back
on
t
he
sea
t
.
Ma
y
be
t
hat
second
m
a
r
g
a
rit
a
w
as
k
i
c
k
i
ng
i
n.
I
t
had been
a
s
tr
ong
one.
T
he
heat
i
n
t
he
cab
and
t
he
w
a
r
m
dog
next
t
o her
j
ust
f
e
l
t
so co
z
y
.

“
S
o,
S
a
m
son….
t
e
l
l
m
e
m
o
r
e
about
y
our
b
us
i
ness,”
she sa
i
d.

“We
ll
,
t
he
r
e
’
s
not
m
uch
t
o
t
e
ll
.
I buy
an
ti
ques.
C
l
ean
t
hem up
and
se
l
l
t
he
m
.
P
a
rti
cu
l
a
rl
y
o
l
d
s
t
one
p
i
ec
e
s
and co
i
ns….s
t
a
t
ues.
A
nd
g
a
r
g
o
y
l
es.”
H
e
supp
r
essed
a
s
m
ir
k
on
t
he
l
ast
added ph
r
ase.

S
he
s
m
il
ed
and
nodded
tr
y
i
ng
so
ha
r
d
t
o
open
e
v
en o
ne
e
y
e
so
she
cou
l
d
l
et
h
i
m
k
now
she
w
as
pa
y
i
ng
a
t
t
e
n
ti
on and
w
as
i
n
t
e
r
es
t
ed.
             
B
ut
t
he
w
a
r
m
t
h
of
t
he
cab
w
as
so
i
n
v
iti
n
g
.
H
i
s
fi
n
g
e
r
s
en
t
w
i
ned
i
n her
o
w
n
w
e
r
e so…..

A
second
l
a
t
er
W
ill
ow
w
as
sound
as
l
eep.
S
asha
w
as s
til
l
a
w
a
k
e
i
n
t
he
fr
ont
and
babb
li
ng
t
o
t
he
cabb
ie
.
H
e
li
s
t
ened
t
o
t
he
i
r
con
v
e
r
sa
ti
on about
w
ea
t
he
r
, and
j
ob
m
a
r
k
e
t
s, o
t
her
tri
v
i
al
pu
r
su
it
s
and
o
t
her
s
m
a
l
l
t
a
l
k
.
T
hey see
m
ed
so
en
g
a
g
ed
t
hat
i
t
d
i
dn
’
t
m
a
tt
er
t
hat
he
w
asn
’
t
ch
i
m
i
ng
i
n.

S
a
m
son
fi
g
u
r
ed
i
t
w
as
j
ust
as
w
e
ll
,
and
i
t
w
as
a
l
so
j
ust
as
w
e
l
l
t
hat
W
ill
ow
w
as
as
l
eep.
T
h
i
s
w
ay
she cou
l
dn
’
t
ask
t
oo
m
any ques
ti
ons
du
ri
ng
t
he
ri
de
because
he
need
e
d
m
o
r
e
ti
m
e
t
o
g
et
h
i
s
s
t
o
r
y
t
o
g
e
t
he
r
.

H
e
l
oo
k
ed
o
v
er
at
her
t
he
r
e
l
eaned
back so
peace
f
u
l
l
y
.
H
ow
m
uch he
en
v
i
ed her
ri
g
ht
no
w
.
H
e
’
d
j
ust
about
f
o
r
g
o
tt
en
w
hat
i
t
f
e
l
t
li
k
e
t
o s
l
eep…
t
hat
d
r
ea
m-
fill
ed n
ir
v
ana
w
he
r
e
t
he
m
i
nd
g
oes
w
h
il
e
t
he
body
i
s
i
n
s
l
u
m
be
r
.
H
e
’
d
been
r
obbed
of
t
hat
s
w
eet
p
l
easu
r
e,
w
h
il
e be
i
ng
a
ll
o
w
ed so
m
any
o
t
he
r
s
i
n
t
he
f
ew
p
r
ec
i
ous
da
y
s
t
hat
he had.