Blood From a Stone (77 page)

“I
k
now
i
t
sounds
li
k
e
a
s
t
up
i
d
p
i
c
k
-
u
p
li
ne
t
hat
I
’
m su
r
e
y
ou
’
v
e
hea
r
d
be
f
o
r
e…sh
i
t
w
ho
hasn
’[
t
hea
r
d
t
hat
one be
f
o
r
e.”
H
e
l
au
g
hed.
“
I
t’
s
l
ous
y
.
I
k
no
w
.
B
ut
he
y
,
I
’
m
j
ust b
e
i
ng
hones
t
.
T
a
k
e
i
t
or
l
ea
v
e
it
.”

“
O
k
a
y
.
I be
li
e
v
e
y
ou,”
she
conceded.
“Y
ou
ha
v
e
t
he sa
m
e
e
ff
ect
on
m
e.
I
t‘
s
c
r
a
z
y
because
I don
’
t
e
v
en
k
now
y
ou
v
e
r
y
w
e
ll
…at
l
east
not
y
e
t
.
A
nd
I hope
y
ou
don
’
t
m
a
k
e
m
e
r
e
g
r
et
d
i
sc
l
os
i
ng
t
hat
t
o
y
ou
t
oo
soon
!
”
S
he
sh
ifte
d unco
m
f
o
rt
a
b
l
y
.
“
N
o
w
,
it’
s
g
e
tti
ng
l
a
t
e.
J
esus!
We
bl
ew
a
g
ood hour
and a ha
l
f
he
r
e and I
g
uess
I
’
d be
tt
er
g
et
m
y
bu
t
t
ho
m
e.”

H
e
t
ook
her
hand
i
n
one
of
h
i
s
o
w
n
as
t
hey s
li
d
out
of
t
he
boo
t
h.
H
e
t
h
r
ew
fi
v
e
buc
k
s
do
w
n
on
t
he
t
ab
l
e
fo
r
a
ti
p and p
i
c
k
ed
up
t
he
i
r
b
il
l
be
f
o
r
e
t
hey
w
a
l
k
ed
t
o
t
he
cash
r
e
g
i
s
t
er
t
o pa
y
.

H
e
l
oo
k
ed
back o
v
er
h
i
s
shou
l
der
w
it
h
an
uneasy
f
ee
li
ng he
cou
l
dn
’
t
put
h
i
s
fi
n
g
er
on
as
he
l
ed
her
out
t
he
door
t
o h
i
s
v
eh
i
c
l
e, e
v
en
t
hou
g
h
t
he ch
il
l
he
’
d
f
e
l
t
w
as
g
one.

T
hat
f
ee
li
ng
w
as
soon
f
o
r
g
o
tt
en
a
f
ew
m
o
m
en
t
s
l
a
t
er
w
hen
t
hey
w
e
r
e
bas
k
i
ng
i
n
bo
t
h
t
he
w
a
r
m
t
h
of
t
he
S
U
V’
s hea
t
er
and
eas
y
-
g
o
i
ng con
v
e
r
sa
ti
on
on
t
he
sho
r
t
t
en
m
i
nu
t
e d
ri
v
e
t
o her
house.

T
hey pu
ll
ed
up
and
he
w
onde
r
ed
w
he
t
her he shou
l
d
j
ust
g
o
ahead
and
k
i
ss
her
t
he
w
ay he had
w
an
t
ed
t
o
l
ast
n
i
g
ht or
l
ea
v
e
i
t
be.

“
D
o
y
ou
w
ant
t
o
co
m
e
i
n
and
g
et
C
i
sco and
t
a
k
e
h
i
m ho
m
e
w
it
h
y
ou
t
on
i
g
h
t
?
H
e
w
ou
l
d
p
r
obab
l
y be
r
ea
ll
y
g
l
ad
t
o see
y
ou.”

“
Y
eah,
I
g
uess
I
’
d
be
tt
er
at
l
east
co
m
e
i
ns
i
de
and
say h
i
,”
he
sa
i
d,
r
ea
li
z
i
ng
t
he
ti
m
i
ng
w
asn
’
t
ri
g
ht
f
or
t
hat
k
i
ss
he
w
as
hop
i
ng
f
o
r
.
T
hen
a
g
a
i
n,
m
a
y
be
her
i
n
v
iti
ng
h
i
m
i
n
w
as
a
g
ood s
i
g
n? Wou
l
d she
i
n
v
it
e h
i
m
t
o s
t
ay
t
he n
i
g
h
t
?
N
ot
li
k
e
l
y
.