Blood From a Stone (32 page)

S
o
m
e
‘
p
l
ace
’
t
hat
w
as.
I
f
on
l
y
t
hey
k
ne
w
.

I
t
be
g
an
t
o
snow
ha
r
der
as
t
hey p
il
ed
i
n
t
o
t
he
cab
t
hat pu
ll
ed
up
t
o
t
he
cu
r
b,
S
asha
t
a
k
i
ng
t
he
fr
ont
seat
next
t
o
t
he cabb
i
e,
as
S
a
m
son
he
l
d
open
t
he
back
door
so
W
ill
ow
cou
l
d
g
et
i
n.
B
e
f
o
r
e
s
li
d
i
ng
i
n
next
t
o
her
he
sa
i
d
, “
H
ang on,
I
’l
l
be
ri
g
ht
bac
k
.”

H
e
d
i
sappea
r
ed
a
r
ound
t
he
co
r
ne
r
,
hea
d
ed
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he
a
ll
e
y
w
ay
w
he
r
e
t
hey
had
m
et
a
f
ew
hou
r
s
ea
rl
i
e
r
.

“W
he
r
e
i
s
he
g
o
i
n
g
?”
S
asha
as
k
ed
as
a
l
ook of pu
z
z
l
e
m
ent
c
r
ossed
her
f
ea
t
u
r
es.
W
ill
ow sh
r
u
gg
ed,
b
ut
had
a na
gg
i
ng
susp
i
c
i
on of
exac
tl
y
w
hat
he
w
as
up
t
o.

S
a
m
son
app
r
oached
t
he
du
m
ps
t
er
t
o
fi
nd
t
he
dog
peace
f
u
ll
y
r
es
ti
ng
i
n
t
he
box
of
r
a
g
s and o
l
d ne
w
s
p
ape
r
s he
’
d p
r
epa
r
ed
ea
rli
e
r
.
H
e
app
r
oached cau
ti
ous
l
y
, not
co
m
p
l
e
t
e
l
y ce
rt
a
i
n
w
he
t
her
t
he
an
i
m
a
l’
s
doc
il
e
cond
iti
on
a
ft
er
t
he
b
it
e had been
t
e
m
po
r
a
r
y
.

“H
ey
budd
y
,
ho
w
’
s
i
t 
g
o
i
n
g
?”
S
a
m
son 
as
k
ed, ho
l
d
i
ng
out
h
i
s
do
w
n
-
t
u
r
ned
pa
l
m
t
en
t
a
ti
v
e
l
y
.
T
he
d
o
g
’
s
t
a
i
l b
e
g
an
t
o
w
ag and
i
t
g
ot
up
and
ca
m
e
o
v
er
li
c
k
i
ng
h
i
s
hand and
t
hen h
i
s
f
ace
li
k
e
i
t
w
as
an o
l
d
fri
end.

“Y
ou
w
anna co
m
e ho
m
e
w
it
h
m
e
t
on
i
g
h
t
?”

T
he
dog
l
oo
k
ed
at
h
i
m
w
it
h
hope
f
ul
e
y
es
as
S
a
m
son sc
r
a
t
ched h
i
s
ea
r
s
and pa
tt
ed
it
s
head.

“I
don
’
t
k
now
i
f
m
y
l
ady
fri
end
w
il
l
app
r
ec
i
a
t
e
i
t

m
uch,
but
I hope
she
w
il
l
f
o
r
g
i
v
e
y
ou
and
l
et
m
e
b
ri
ng
y
ou a
l
ong
i
n
t
he
cab.
I
f
she
doesn
’
t
t
hen
w
e
’l
l
fi
g
u
r
e
out
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng e
l
se.
C
’
m
on.”

T
he
dog
f
o
ll
o
w
ed
a
ft
er
h
i
m and
W
ill
o
w
’
s
susp
i
c
i
ons
w
e
r
e
con
fir
m
ed
t
he
second
she
saw
S
a
m
son
r
ound
t
he
co
r
ner of
t
he
l
a
r
g
e
b
ri
ck
bu
il
d
i
n
g
,
w
it
h
t
he
dog
f
o
ll
o
w
i
ng happ
il
y b
e
h
i
nd
w
a
gg
i
ng
it
s
t
a
i
l
as
i
f
no
t
h
i
ng
happened.

S
a
m
son
s
t
epped
up
t
o
t
he cu
r
b, and pe
e
k
ed
i
ns
i
de
t
he door
of
t
he
cab.
“I
k
now
t
h
i
s
i
s
s
tr
an
g
e…but
y
ou
don
’
t
m
i
nd
i
f
he co
m
es
w
it
h us
do
y
ou?
H
e
’
s pe
rf
ec
tl
y
fi
ne.
T
he
r
e
’
s
r
ea
l
l
y
no
t
h
i
ng
w
r
ong
w
it
h
h
i
m
,
I
p
r
o
m
i
se.
I
t
h
i
nk
he
w
as
j
ust
co
l
d
and hu
n
g
r
y
.”