Blood From a Stone (33 page)

I
t
w
as
a
li
e,
but
i
t
w
as
a
one
t
hat
he
k
new
w
as b
e
li
e
v
ab
l
e.
H
e
cou
l
dn
’
t
exp
l
a
i
n
a
w
ay
t
he
r
ab
i
d beh
a
v
i
o
r
,
or
w
he
r
e
a
l
l
t
he
b
l
ood
had
co
m
e
fr
om
ea
rli
er
s
i
nce
t
he
dog
had no
se
lf
-
i
n
fli
c
t
ed
w
ounds
on
it
s
m
ou
t
h.
B
ut
he
hoped she
’
d
f
o
r
g
o
tt
en about
t
hat
pa
r
t
and
w
ou
l
dn
’
t
no
ti
ce.

W
ill
ow
l
oo
k
ed
at
t
he
dog
i
n
bo
t
h
f
ear
and
s
y
m
p
a
t
h
y
.
S
he
w
asn
’
t
su
r
e
w
hat
t
o do.

“P
l
ease?”
S
a
m
son be
gg
ed.

S
asha
l
oo
k
ed
t
e
rrifi
ed
i
n
t
he
fr
ont
sea
t
. W
ill
ow sh
r
u
gg
ed and
fi
na
ll
y
sa
i
d,
“I
g
uess
so.”
A
nd
be
f
o
r
e
t
he
w
o
r
ds
escaped
her
li
ps,
t
he
dog bounded
i
n
t
o
t
he
back
seat
and
p
l
opped
do
w
n
next
t
o he
r
,
r
es
ti
ng
it
s
w
a
r
m
head
i
n
her
l
ap.
T
he
poor
t
h
i
ng
w
as
so
t
h
i
n.

S
he
w
as
ac
t
ua
ll
y
f
ee
li
ng
p
r
e
tt
y
sca
r
e
d
,
but
soon
d
i
sco
v
e
r
ed
t
he
dog
on
l
y
w
an
t
ed
so
m
e
co
m
f
o
r
t
and
a
wa
r
m p
l
ace
t
o
l
ay
do
w
n.
B
e
f
o
r
e
l
ong
she
w
as
s
tr
o
k
i
ng
t
he
so
f
t
f
ur
on
it
s
head and
t
he
dog
li
c
k
ed
her
hand,
g
r
a
t
e
f
ul
f
or
t
he a
f
f
e
c
ti
on
i
t
had
l
ong
been
w
it
hou
t
,
li
v
i
ng
a
lif
e
i
n
t
he
s
tr
ee
t
s
w
i
t
h
littl
e
f
ood
and no co
m
pan
i
onsh
i
p.

S
a
m
son
s
li
pped
i
n
t
o
t
he
cab
next
t
o
t
h
e
dog
s
tr
o
k
i
ng
it
s bac
k
.
“S
ee?
H
e
’
s
fi
ne
no
w
.
I
k
now
it’
s
ha
r
d
t
o
b
e
li
e
v
e,
b
u
t he
’
s
j
ust
a b
i
g
bab
y
.”

S
he
w
an
t
ed
t
o
be
m
ad
but
i
t
w
as
ha
r
d
to
a
ft
er
l
oo
k
i
ng
do
w
n
at
t
he
l
o
v
e
-
s
t
a
r
v
ed
c
r
ea
t
u
r
e
nes
tl
ed
i
n
her
l
ap…and
S
a
m
son
’
s
d
i
sa
r
m
i
ng
s
m
il
e.

“I
t’
s
o
k
a
y
.
I
t’
s
not
h
i
s
f
au
lt
,”
she
ad
m
itt
ed.
A hu
g
e
g
ust
of
w
i
nd
r
e
m
i
nded
her
of
t
he
need
t
o
g
et
ho
m
e
a
s
qu
i
c
k
l
y as poss
i
b
l
e.

“Man,
i
t
i
s
r
ea
ll
y
co
m
i
ng
do
w
n
out
t
he
r
e.
We
need
t
o
g
o
t
o W
i
ns
t
on
T
e
rr
ace p
l
ease….1201,” W
ill
ow
sa
i
d.

T
he cabb
i
e nodded.

“
E
v
e
r
y
one
g
o
i
ng
t
o
t
he sa
m
e p
l
ace?”

“
N
o,
he
’
s
g
o
i
ng
t
o
m
a
k
e
su
r
e
w
e
g
et
i
n o
k
a
y
,
t
hen
y
ou can
t
a
k
e h
i
m
and
F
u
r
ba
l
l
he
r
e, ho
m
e.”