Blood From a Stone (104 page)

S
he
s
t
a
r
ed
at
h
i
m and
j
ust
shook
her
h
ead.
“Wha
t
?”
H
er
v
o
i
ce
d
ri
pped
             
w
it
h
u
tt
er
con
t
e
m
p
t
.

“
Y
ou hea
r
d
m
e. My
b
l
ood has
t
he po
w
er
t
o hea
l
.”

“
S
t
op
t
he
tr
uck
ri
g
ht
no
w
,”
she
o
r
de
r
ed
h
i
m
.
Y
ou
’
r
e
i
nsane.
N
ow
y
ou
t
h
i
nk
y
ou
’r
e
J
esus
C
h
ri
s
t
?”
S
he
l
a
u
g
hed sa
r
cas
ti
ca
ll
y
.
“
S
t
op
t
he
tr
uck
no
w
.
I
’
m ca
lli
ng
t
he
cops
i
f
y
ou don
’t
.”

H
e
pu
ll
ed
t
he
tr
uck qu
i
c
k
l
y
t
o
t
he
s
i
de
of
t
he
r
oad and
g
r
abbed
her
a
r
m
.
S
he
l
oo
k
ed
at
h
i
m
,
co
m
p
l
e
t
e
l
y
t
e
rr
i
fi
ed,
and
y
et
he d
i
dn
’
t
l
et
g
o.

“
C
an
y
ou
deny
w
hat
y
ou
sa
w
,
W
ill
o
w
?
Lo
ok
m
e
i
n
t
he e
y
es
and
t
e
l
l
m
e
y
ou d
i
dn
’
t
see
i
t
f
or
y
ou
r
se
lf
.”

S
he
sna
t
ched
her
a
r
m
fr
ee
and
sat
t
here
j
ust
s
t
a
ri
ng
at h
i
m
m
o
r
e an
g
r
y
now
t
han sca
r
ed.

“We
ll
?
He raised his eyebrows.

S
he
sat
t
he
r
e
fr
o
z
en
as
a
m
illi
on
t
ho
u
g
h
t
s 
r
aced
t
h
r
ou
g
h
her
head.
H
e cou
l
d
t
e
l
l
t
hat
r
a
ti
onal
t
h
i
n
k
i
ng
w
as
once a
g
a
i
n
t
a
k
i
ng
o
v
er
as
her
f
ear
w
as pushed
t
o
t
he back
bu
r
ne
r
.

H
e
t
ook
a
deep
b
r
ea
t
h
and
con
ti
nued.
“
I
k
now
t
h
i
s
i
s ha
r
d
t
o
be
li
e
v
e,
or
unde
r
s
t
and.
B
ut
it’
s
t
he
tr
u
t
h.
I s
w
ear
it
.
I don
’
t
unde
r
s
t
and
i
t
m
y
se
lf
.
I
k
now
about
as
m
uch
as
y
ou
at
t
h
i
s
po
i
n
t
.
N
o
w
,
i
f
y
ou
w
ant
t
o
g
et
ou
t
,
I
w
on
’
t
s
t
op
y
ou.
B
ut
I
’
m
ask
i
ng
y
ou not
t
o.
P
l
ease.”

S
he
c
l
osed
her
e
y
es
and
t
ook
a
deep
b
r
ea
t
h.
F
i
na
l
l
y she nodded and sa
i
d, “
O
k
a
y
,” her
v
o
i
ce ba
r
e
l
y
a
w
h
i
spe
r
.

T
hey
d
r
o
v
e
i
n
s
il
ence
f
or
a
f
ew
m
o
r
e
m
i
nu
t
es
be
f
o
r
e she
fi
na
ll
y
sa
i
d,
“
H
o
w
?
I
‘
m
a
nu
r
se
f
or
C
h
ri
s
t’
s
sa
k
e!
I
k
now
sc
i
ence. 
H
ow
t
he
he
l
l
can
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
li
k
e
t
h
i
s
ex
i
s
t
?”
S
he shook
her
head,
l
eaned
her
e
l
bow a
g
a
i
nst
t
he
w
i
n
dow and p
r
opped her
t
h
r
obb
i
ng
head a
g
a
i
nst
it
.

“
H
ones
tl
y
? I
don
’
t
k
no
w
,” he sa
i
d
fir
m
l
y
.

B
ut
t
hat
w
as
on
l
y a
ha
l
f
tr
u
t
h.
H
e
k
new
t
hat
so
m
e
how or
ano
t
he
r
, h
i
s cu
r
se…
t
hat
da
m
nab
l
e cu
r
se
t
hat
had been p
l
a
g
u
i
ng
h
i
m
f
or
on
l
y
t
he
l
ast
fi
v
e
hund
r
ed
y
ea
r
s
or
so
had so
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
…no
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
t
o
do
w
it
h
it
.
B
ut
t
he
r
e
w
a
s
N
O
w
ay
i
n
he
l
l
he
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
d
i
sc
l
ose
any
m
o
r
e
t
han
he
a
lr
eady had at
t
h
i
s po
i
n
t
.