Blood From a Stone (139 page)
Read Blood From a Stone Online
Authors: Cynthia Lucas
H
e
qu
i
c
k
l
y bo
lt
ed
do
w
n
t
he
s
t
a
ir
s
and ac
r
oss
t
he s
tr
eet
t
o
exp
l
a
i
n
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
t
o
t
he po
li
ce o
ffi
ce
r
,
w
h
il
e
H
a
r
o
l
d
l
oo
k
ed
on
ne
r
v
ous
l
y
nodd
i
ng
‘
no
’
,
a
fr
a
i
d
t
hat
so
m
e
h
ow
t
he po
li
ce
w
ou
l
d
fi
g
u
r
e
out
t
hat
S
a
m
son
had
hea
l
ed
h
i
m as
i
f
by
m
a
g
i
c.
S
a
m
son
po
lit
e
l
y pu
ll
ed
out
h
i
s
d
ri
v
e
r
’s
li
cense,
and sho
w
ed
i
t
t
o
t
he
o
ffi
ce
r
,
exp
l
a
i
ned
w
hat
had
happened
and
t
o
l
d
h
i
m
t
hat
he
’
d
g
i
v
en
t
he
ho
m
e
l
ess
m
an
h
i
s
coat
t
o
k
eep
w
a
r
m
be
f
o
r
e head
i
ng
back
t
o h
i
s
apa
rt
m
ent
ac
r
oss
t
he s
tr
ee
t
.
T
he
po
li
ce
m
an
s
m
il
ed
and
nodded,
fi
nal
l
y
l
oo
k
i
ng con
v
i
nced. “
T
hat
w
as p
r
e
tt
y
n
i
ce of
y
ou
m
i
s
t
e
r
.”
S
a
m
son
nodded.
“
T
han
k
s.
S
o
shou
l
d
I
of
f
er
t
o
g
i
v
e h
i
m
a
lif
t
t
o
t
he she
lt
e
r
, or
a
r
e
y
ou
t
a
k
i
ng
h
i
m
?”
T
he
po
li
ce
m
an
s
i
g
hed.
“We
don
’
t
usua
l
ly do
t
hat
k
i
nd of
t
h
i
n
g
,
but
s
i
nce
y
ou
’
v
e
a
lr
eady done
a
g
ood
deed
and
g
i
v
en h
i
m
a
w
a
r
m
coa
t
….an
expens
i
v
e
w
a
r
m coa
t
…
y
eah,
w
hat
t
he hec
k
.
I
’l
l
d
r
op h
i
m
o
ff
.”
S
a
m
son
s
m
il
ed
at
H
a
r
o
l
d.
“
O
k
ay
t
hen.
R
e
m
e
m
ber
y
our
p
r
o
m
i
se.
C
l
ean
up…
j
ob…and
m
ost
i
m
po
rt
an
tl
y he
l
p
i
ng so
m
eone e
l
se.”
“
Y
es
s
ir
.
Y
ou
k
now
I
w
ill
.”
H
a
r
o
l
d
be
a
m
ed
as
he
s
li
d
i
n
t
o
t
he
back of
t
he
po
li
ce
ca
r
.
T
he
o
ffi
cer
w
a
v
ed
as
he
pu
ll
ed a
w
a
y
, headed
f
or
t
he
H
ands
of
H
ope
S
he
lt
e
r
.
S
a
m
son
s
t
ood
t
he
r
e
t
a
k
i
ng a
l
ong
m
o
m
ent
t
o d
i
g
est
w
hat
had
j
ust
happened,
be
f
o
r
e
he
w
a
l
k
ed
back ac
r
o
s
s
t
he s
tr
ee
t
, and sp
ri
n
t
ed up
t
he s
t
a
ir
s
t
o h
i
s
apa
rt
m
ent.
C
H
AP
T
E
R
FIF
T
EE
N
S
o,
he
’
d
‘
s
t
a
y
ed
on
t
he
pa
t
h’
a
lri
g
h
t
.
N
ow he
w
as ce
rt
a
i
n
t
hat
h
i
s
b
l
ood
cou
l
d
heal
not
on
l
y an
i
m
a
l
s
but
h
u
m
ans as
w
e
ll
.
H
i
s
m
i
nd
tr
a
v
e
l
ed
back
t
o
t
he
i
ns
t
ant
he
’
d
sa
v
ed
H
a
r
o
l
d.
T
he
he
r
o
i
n
-
li
k
e
r
ush
he
’
d
f
e
l
t
i
n
t
hat
m
o
m
e
nt
had been
o
v
e
r
w
he
l
m
i
ng
and
caused
h
i
m
t
o
nea
rl
y
f
a
l
l
t
o
t
he
g
r
ound.
C
o
m
e
t
o
t
h
i
nk of
i
t
he
w
as
s
til
l
f
ee
li
ng a
littl
e
w
oo
z
y
.
H
e
’
d
not
no
ti
ced
i
t
so
m
uch
i
n
t
he u
r
g
ent
m
o
m
en
t
s when he
’
d
r
un
do
w
n
t
he
s
t
a
ir
s
t
o
t
a
l
k
t
o
t
he
po
li
ce
o
ffi
ce
r
,
but
now
he
w
as
f
ee
li
ng
w
obb
l
y
on
h
i
s
l
e
g
s
and
f
or
a
f
ew
m
o
m
en
t
s, e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng see
m
ed
t
o
be
m
o
v
i
ng
i
n s
l
ow
m
o
ti
on and
i
n a
w
a
v
y pa
t
t
e
r
n,
li
k
e
a
m
ir
a
g
e
i
n
t
he
dese
rt
.
A
ch
il
l
and
a s
tr
an
g
e bu
zz
i
ng
f
ee
li
n
g
,
li
k
e
e
l
ec
tri
c
it
y
k
i
ssed
t
he
back
o
f
h
i
s
nec
k
,
f
o
ll
o
w
ed by
a hot
fl
ush
i
n h
i
s
f
ace.
I
t
w
as
unse
ttli
n
g
.
H
e
w
a
l
k
ed
t
o
t
he couch and sat
do
w
n s
o
a
k
ed
i
n s
w
ea
t
,
f
ee
li
ng an
o
v
e
r
w
he
l
m
i
ng
f
a
ti
g
ue.
H
e
c
l
osed
h
i
s
e
y
es
as
he
l
ay h
i
s
head
back
on
t
he
p
ill
o
w
s.
I
t
passed
a
f
ew
m
i
nu
t
es
l
a
t
e
r
, and
w
it
h
t
hat
pass
i
ng
ca
m
e a
r
ene
w
ed ene
r
gy
.
H
e
sudden
l
y
f
e
l
t
m
o
r
e
a
li
v
e
t
han
he
had
i
n
a
v
e
r
y
l
ong
ti
m
e.
T
he
f
ee
li
ng of
f
a
ti
g
ue
w
as
qu
it
e p
r
onounced,
but
t
he
f
ee
li
ng of
r
ene
w
al
a
ft
e
r
w
a
r
d
w
as
m
uch
g
r
ea
t
e
r
.
H
e
f
e
l
t
so
f
u
l
l of
ene
r
g
y
he
w
as
fi
nd
i
ng
t
hat
he
w
as
t
oo
r
es
tl
ess
t
o
s
t
ay
w
it
h
i
n
t
he
con
fi
nes of
t
he apa
rt
m
en
t
, and
w
an
t
ed…n
e
eded
t
o
g
et
out
and
g
o do so
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
.
H
e
supposed
do
i
ng
so
m
e
m
o
r
e
p
r
ep
w
o
r
k
f
or
h
i
s
next
Aw
a
k
en
i
ng
w
ou
l
d
be
t
he
p
r
udent
t
h
i
ng
t
o
do,
s
i
nce
a
lt
hou
g
h he
w
as
i
ndeed
on
h
i
s
w
ay
t
o
fi
g
u
ri
ng
t
h
i
s
t
h
i
ng ou
t
,
he
hadn
’
t done
so
y
e
t
,
and
t
he
r
e
w
as
a
chance
t
hat
i
n
t
h
r
ee
wee
k
s
ti
m
e he
w
ou
l
d
once
a
g
a
i
n
beco
m
e
a
b
l
ock of
s
t
one.
D
i
gg
i
ng up
m
oney
he
’
d
bu
ri
ed
w
asn
’
t
an
op
ti
on
i
n
t
he
da
y
li
g
ht
hou
r
s.