Blood From a Stone (9 page)

“
H
o
w
?”
H
er
b
r
o
w
s
k
n
i
t
t
o
g
e
t
her
i
n d
i
s
b
e
li
e
f
.
“
T
he
r
e
’
s
 
no
w
ay
y
ou
cou
l
d
’
v
e
t
a
k
en
a
b
it
e
li
k
e
t
hat
and
not
ha
v
e
a sc
r
a
t
ch
!
”

A
new
t
hou
g
ht
c
r
ossed
her
m
i
nd as
she s
t
a
rt
ed
t
o back a
w
ay
f
u
rt
her
t
o
w
a
r
ds
t
he
s
i
de
w
a
l
k out
of
t
he a
ll
e
y
w
a
y
, d
r
a
g
g
i
ng
S
asha
w
it
h he
r
.

“
D
i
d
y
ou
f
ake
t
h
i
s
w
ho
l
e
t
h
i
n
g
?
A
r
e
y
ou so
m
e
k
i
nd of
w
e
ir
do
or
r
ap
i
st
or
so
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
?”
her
v
o
i
ce
r
ose
acc
u
s
i
n
g
l
y as she spo
k
e.

H
e
s
m
il
ed
and
s
i
g
hed.
S
he
w
as
r
ea
ll
y t
r
y
i
ng h
i
s p
a
ti
ence
no
w
.
H
e
r
e
he
’
d
j
ust
sa
v
ed
her
and
her
fri
end
fr
om a b
l
oody
m
au
li
n
g
,
co
m
p
l
e
t
e
w
it
h
a
n
i
ce
case
of
r
ab
i
es,
and she
w
as
s
t
a
ri
ng
h
i
m
do
w
n
accus
i
ng
h
i
m of
be
i
ng
a
r
ap
i
s
t
.
Wo
m
en
w
e
r
e
un
g
r
a
t
e
f
u
l
,
pe
tt
y c
r
ea
t
u
r
es
i
n
any cen
t
u
r
y
!
T
h
at
ce
r
t
a
i
n
l
y hadn
’
t
chan
g
ed.
B
ut
he d
i
d need an exp
l
ana
ti
on.
H
e
l
oo
k
ed do
w
n
at
h
i
s
a
r
m
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
t
h
i
nk up
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng qu
i
c
k
l
y
w
h
il
e
r
e
t
a
i
n
i
ng
h
i
s
co
m
pos
ure and
not
yelling
back at
he
r
.
H
e
su
p
posed she
had
r
eason
t
o
be
a
littl
e
a
fr
a
i
d
s
i
nce
he
had
n
o
v
i
s
i
b
l
e
w
ounds
and
y
e
t
,
she
’
d
c
l
ea
rl
y
seen
h
i
m
d
ri
pp
i
ng b
l
ood
a
f
ew
m
o
m
en
t
s
a
g
o be
f
o
r
e h
i
s
s
k
i
n had c
l
osed up and hea
l
ed
i
t
se
lf
.

“
T
he
dog ob
v
i
ous
l
y
…
w
e
ll
,
i
t
m
us
t’
v
e…bi
tt
en
it
s o
w
n
li
p
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
t
a
k
e
a
chunk out
of
m
e.”
H
e
s
t
u
m
b
l
ed o
v
er
t
he
w
o
r
ds
w
h
il
e
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
l
ook
as
honest
as
poss
i
b
l
e.
He
bent do
w
n
t
o
pu
l
l
back
t
he
do
g
’
s
li
ps
f
or
e
ff
ec
t
,
as
W
ill
ow
bac
k
ed up
f
u
rt
he
r
, a
fr
a
i
d
t
o co
m
e
t
oo c
l
ose.

S
a
m
son
had
hoped
t
h
i
s
m
o
v
e
w
ou
l
d
d
ri
v
e
her o
ff
.
H
e
r
ea
ll
y needed
t
o
g
et
ri
d
of
her
so
he
cou
l
d
be
on h
i
s
w
ay
w
it
hout
any
f
u
rt
her
ques
ti
ons.  “
L
oo
k
. 
I
’
m
fi
ne. 
T
he
do
g
’
s
fi
ne.
B
e
li
e
v
e
m
e,
I
can
t
a
k
e
ca
r
e
of
t
h
i
s.
I
’l
l
m
a
k
e
su
r
e
t
hat
t
he dog
g
oes
t
o
A
n
i
m
al
C
on
tr
o
l
.
R
ea
ll
y
.
I
’
m
a b
i
g
bo
y
.”