Blood From a Stone (78 page)

H
e
t
u
r
ned
o
f
f
t
he
i
g
n
iti
on and
f
o
ll
o
w
ed her
i
ns
i
de
t
he
w
a
r
m
t
h
of
t
he house.
C
i
sco ca
m
e bound
i
ng
up
t
he second
t
hey
w
a
l
k
ed
i
n
t
he
doo
r
, pe
r
ched on h
i
s
h
i
nd
l
e
g
s
and b
e
g
an
li
c
k
i
ng
S
a
m
son
’
s
f
ace
li
k
e
he
had
been
g
one
f
or
a cen
t
u
r
y
i
n
s
t
ead of
a da
y
.

“We
ll
,
I
g
uess
y
ou
m
i
ssed
m
e,
d
i
dn
’
t
y
ou?”
he
l
au
g
hed.

W
ill
ow
w
a
l
k
ed
t
o
t
he
li
v
i
ng
r
oom
w
he
r
e
S
asha
w
as passed
out
on
t
he
cha
ir
,
and
t
u
r
ned
t
o
S
a
m
son,
pu
tti
ng her
fi
n
g
e
r
s
t
o her
li
ps
t
o
m
a
k
e a s
il
ent
“shhh”
g
es
t
u
r
e.

S
a
m
son
nodded
and
l
oo
k
ed do
w
n at
C
i
sco and
w
h
i
s
pe
r
ed,
“
Y
ou
’
d
be
tt
er
be
qu
i
e
t
,
y
oung
m
an.”
C
i
s
c
o
g
ot do
w
n
and
w
a
gg
ed
h
i
s
t
a
i
l
as
i
f
he
unde
r
s
t
ood
e
v
e
r
y
w
o
r
d. W
ill
ow
w
as
i
m
p
r
essed.

“
T
hat
i
s
j
ust
a
m
a
z
i
ng
t
he
w
ay
he
see
m
s
t
o
unde
r
s
t
and
y
ou.
H
o
w
do
y
ou do th
a
t
?”

“I
ha
v
e no
i
dea. I
g
uess
he
j
ust
li
k
es
m
e,”
S
a
m
son sa
i
d
,
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
k
eep
h
i
s
v
o
i
ce
as
l
ow
as
poss
i
b
l
e
so
as
not
w
a
k
e
S
asha.
B
ut
he
d
i
d
ha
v
e
so
m
e
t
heo
r
y
t
hat
pe
r
h
a
ps
w
hen
t
he dog
b
i
t
h
i
m
t
he
y
’
d
de
v
e
l
oped
so
m
e
k
i
nd
of
bond.
N
ot
su
r
e ho
w
,
but
he
cou
l
d
sort
of
f
eel
t
he
do
g
’
s
e
s
sence and personality in a vague way
.
A
nd
he
w
as
g
uess
i
ng
t
hat
so
m
ehow
i
t
m
i
g
ht
w
o
r
k bo
t
h
w
a
y
s.
H
e
cou
l
d
a
l
so
f
eel
t
he
y
ou
t
h
and
v
it
a
li
t
y
t
hat
w
e
r
e su
r
g
i
ng
t
h
r
ou
g
h
t
he
do
g
’
s
v
e
i
ns…
m
a
y
be
i
t
w
as
y
et
a
n
o
t
her s
i
de
-
e
ff
ec
t
.

H
e
l
oo
k
ed hea
lt
h
i
e
r
, b
ri
g
h
t
er
and
i
t
w
as
as
i
f
he
’
d
g
a
i
ned
w
e
i
g
ht
and
h
i
s
f
ur
had
t
u
r
ned
g
l
ossy
o
v
e
r
n
i
g
h
t
.
T
h
i
s
w
as
not
t
he
sa
m
e
s
k
i
nn
y
,
sad
sack
he
’
d
l
u
r
ed
fr
om 
t
he du
m
ps
t
er
l
ess
t
han
24
hou
r
s
a
g
o!
C
o
m
e
t
o
t
h
i
nk of
i
t
,
he h
i
m
se
l
f
f
e
l
t
so
m
e
so
r
t
of
r
ene
w
ed
v
it
a
lit
y
.
N
o
t
h
i
ng ea
rt
h- sha
tt
e
ri
n
g
,
but
j
ust
an
e
v
e
r
-
so
-
s
li
g
ht
littl
e
lift
.
I
t
ca
m
e
sho
r
t
l
y
a
ft
er
he
’
d
f
e
l
t
t
he
su
r
g
e
of
e
l
ec
tri
c
it
y
w
hen
he
w
a
s
b
itt
en.
H
e hadn
’
t
no
ti
ced
i
t
so
m
uch
ea
rli
e
r
,
but
now
he
r
e
ne
x
t
t
o
t
he do
g
,
and
be
i
ng c
l
ose
enou
g
h
t
o sense
t
he
do
g
’
s
e
s
s
e
nce
he cou
l
d de
fi
n
it
e
l
y
f
eel
and
i
den
tif
y
i
t
m
o
r
e.