Blood From a Stone (97 page)

“I
w
ou
l
d
say
t
hat
P
anca
k
e
P
an
tr
y
or
m
a
y
be
C
h
i
co
’
s
i
s about
a
l
l
I
’
m up
f
or
d
r
essed
li
k
e
t
h
i
s,
un
l
ess
y
ou
’
d
p
r
e
f
er
f
ast
f
ood?”
S
he c
ri
n
g
ed.

“
A
lri
g
h
t
then, p
anca
k
es
i
t
i
s.
A
lt
hou
g
h
do
n
u
t
s
and co
ff
ee
l
ast
n
i
g
h
t
…panca
k
es
t
on
i
g
h
t
?
I
t’
s
t
e
rri
b
l
e
f
or
m
y 
m
a
n
l
y
fi
g
u
r
e.”

S
he
l
au
g
hed
out
l
oud.
H
er
l
au
g
h
t
er
w
as soon
r
e
p
l
aced by
a
sc
r
eam as
t
he
car
ca
r
eened
w
il
d
l
y
and
she
g
r
abbed
t
he dash
t
o s
t
eady
he
r
se
lf
.

A
cat
had
r
un
i
n
fr
ont
of
t
hem and
S
a
m
son
s
w
ung
t
he
w
heel
t
o
a
v
o
i
d
h
itti
ng
it
.
A
lt
hou
g
h h
i
s
r
e
fl
exes
w
e
r
e
li
g
h
t
n
i
ng
f
as
t
; 
i
nhu
m
an
l
y
so,  he 
w
as
s
til
l
at
t
he
m
e
r
cy
of
t
he
m
echan
i
s
m
s
of
t
he
m
an
-m
ade
v
eh
i
c
l
e
he
w
as
d
ri
v
i
ng
a
nd
w
as unab
l
e
t
o
a
v
o
i
d
c
li
pp
i
ng
it
.
T
he
t
hud
a
g
a
i
nst
t
he
wheel
m
ade h
i
m c
ri
n
g
e
as
he
qu
i
c
k
l
y
chec
k
ed
t
o
m
a
k
e
su
r
e
no
one
w
as beh
i
nd
t
he
m
,
s
l
a
mm
ed
t
he b
r
a
k
es and
j
u
m
ped out
i
n one s
w
if
t
m
o
ti
on.

W
ill
ow
g
asped
and
cau
g
ht
her
b
r
ea
t
h.
T
he
cat
had no doubt
been c
r
ushed at
t
he speed
t
hey
w
e
r
e
m
o
v
i
n
g
.

S
he 
g
r
abbed
t
he
door
hand
l
e
and
g
ot
ou
t
,
w
a
l
k
i
ng s
l
o
w
l
y
o
v
er
t
o
S
a
m
son
’
s
s
i
de
of
t
he
ca
r
,
expec
ti
ng
t
he
cat
t
o ha
v
e pe
ri
shed.

T
he
li
m
p
an
i
m
al
l
ay
i
n
S
a
m
son
’
s
hands
w
it
h b
l
ood pou
ri
ng
fr
om
it
s
m
ou
t
h
and
nose
as
i
t
s
tr
u
gg
l
ed
f
or
it
s
l
ast
r
aspy
b
r
ea
t
hs.

S
a
m
son
s
w
a
ll
o
w
ed
back
t
he
l
u
m
p
i
n
h
i
s
t
h
r
oat da
m
n
i
ng
h
i
m
se
l
f
f
or
not
be
i
ng
f
ast
enou
g
h
t
o ha
v
e
a
v
o
i
ded
t
he poor
c
r
ea
t
u
r
e.
H
e
d
r
a
gg
ed
i
n
a
r
a
gg
ed
b
r
ea
t
h as
h
i
s
b
r
o
w
s
k
n
i
t
t
o
g
e
t
he
r
.
H
i
s
m
i
nd
w
as
r
ac
i
n
g
.

H
i
s
b
l
ood.
T
h
i
s
see
m
ed
li
k
e
no
be
tt
er
ti
m
e and p
l
ace
t
han 
t
o 
tr
y
a
g
a
i
n…and 
i
f
i
t
m
eant
t
hat
he
cou
l
d
s
to
p
t
h
i
s an
i
m
a
l’
s
su
ff
e
ri
ng or
sa
v
e
it
s
lif
e
be
f
o
r
e
i
t
d
r
ew
it
s
l
ast
b
r
ea
t
h he
r
e
i
n
a
g
on
y
,
t
hen
da
m
n
he
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
tr
y
.
E
v
en
i
f
he cou
l
dn
’
t
sa
v
e
it
,
i
f
he
cou
l
d
at
l
east
m
a
k
e
i
t
m
o
r
e co
m
f
o
r
t
ab
l
e and
spa
r
e
i
t
so
m
e
of
it
s
pa
i
n
be
f
o
r
e
i
t
d
i
ed,
t
hen
i
t
w
as
w
o
rt
h
t
he
tr
y
.
A
nd
i
t
w
as
ce
rt
a
i
n
l
y a
w
ay
t
o
t
est
out
h
i
s
t
he
o
r
y a
g
a
i
n under
d
iff
e
r
ent
c
ir
cu
m
s
t
ance.
B
ut
fir
st
he
so
m
ehow had
t
o d
i
v
e
r
t
W
ill
o
w
’
s
a
tt
en
ti
o
n
.
Remembering her reaction when Cisco had bitten him outside the club, he knew that wasn’t g
o
ing to be easy.