Blood From a Stone (198 page)

“I
usua
ll
y
w
o
r
k
t
he
3pm sh
ift
.
S
pea
k
i
n
g
of
w
h
i
ch,
I ha
v
en
’
t
hea
r
d
any
m
o
r
e
ne
w
s
about
t
he
littl
e
bo
y
.
I
w
o
n
der how
he
i
s.”
S
he
l
oo
k
ed
a
r
ound
t
he
r
oom and
he
k
new
she
w
as scou
ri
ng
t
he pe
ri
m
e
t
er
f
or
her
ce
l
l
phone.

S
he
g
ot
up
fr
om h
i
s
l
ap
and
headed
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he be
d
r
oom
t
o
sea
r
ch
f
or
it
.
A
s
soon
as
she
w
as
sa
f
e
l
y
out
of s
i
g
h
t
,
he
pushed
i
t
a
littl
e
f
u
rt
her
up under
t
he
c
o
r
ner
of
t
he couch,
j
ust
t
o
m
a
k
e su
r
e.

S
he
r
e
t
u
r
ned
a
f
ew
m
i
nu
t
es
l
a
t
er
and
s
ea
r
ched
a
l
l
o
v
er
t
he
k
it
chen be
f
o
r
e
fi
na
ll
y
g
i
v
i
ng
up.

“We
l
l
da
m
n.
I
can
’
t
fi
nd
m
y
phone.
I
g
uess
I
’l
l
ha
v
e
t
o
l
ook so
m
e
m
o
r
e
l
a
t
e
r
.
O
r
ha
v
e
y
ou ca
l
l
i
t
and s
e
e
i
f
i
t
s
t
a
rt
s bu
zz
i
ng
so
m
e
w
he
r
e. I
hope I
d
i
dn
’
t
d
r
op
i
t
i
n
t
he re
s
t
au
r
an
t
.”

H
e
sh
r
u
gg
ed
i
nnocen
tl
y
,
i
n
t
ent
on
chan
g
i
ng 
t
he sub
j
ec
t
.
“
I
’
m
su
r
e
it’l
l
t
u
r
n
up.
We
can
l
ook
f
or
i
t
so
m
e
m
o
r
e
l
a
t
e
r
.
D
o
y
ou
w
ant
t
o
g
o out
f
or
b
r
ea
k
f
as
t
?”

S
he
nodded.
“
L
et
m
e
t
h
r
ow on
so
m
e
c
l
othes.”
S
he headed
do
w
n
t
he
ha
ll
w
ay
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he
bed
r
oom
w
h
il
e
he co
l
l
ec
t
ed
t
he
i
r
co
ff
ee
m
u
g
s
and
t
ook
t
hem
t
o
t
he
k
i
t
chen
s
i
n
k
.
D
a
m
n.
H
e
w
as
r
ea
ll
y d
r
ead
i
ng
w
hat
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
co
m
e
w
hen she
f
ound out
about
t
he
littl
e bo
y
.

C
ho
i
ces.
H
e
s
i
g
hed
r
ea
li
z
i
ng
i
t
w
as
ti
m
e
f
or
ano
t
her one
of
t
he
m
.
Ma
y
be
he
shou
l
d
j
ust
g
o
ahead
and
t
e
l
l
he
r
.
N
o
m
a
tt
er
w
hat
t
he
consequences,
he
at
l
east
o
w
ed her
t
hat
m
uch.
H
e
’
d
p
r
o
m
i
sed
her
he
’
d
ne
v
er
hu
r
t
he
r
…at
l
east
not
i
f
he
cou
l
d
he
l
p
it
.
N
o
w
,
he
’
d
done
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
hat
p
r
obab
l
y
w
ou
l
d not
hu
r
t
her
so
m
uch
as
m
a
k
e
her
m
adder
t
han he
ll
.
A
lt
hou
g
h
l
y
i
ng
t
o
her
and
not
t
e
lli
ng her
w
hat
he
’
d done p
ro
bab
l
y qua
lifi
ed
i
n
t
he
hu
r
t
depa
rt
m
en
t
.
E
it
her
w
a
y
,
t
he
c
ho
i
ce
w
as he
r
e
t
o
m
a
k
e,
and
he
’
d
dec
i
ded
t
o
t
e
l
l
her
h
i
m
se
l
f
i
ns
t
ead of
l
e
tti
ng
her
fi
nd out
fr
om
so
m
eone e
l
se.