Blood From a Stone (132 page)

“
Y
ou
’l
l
k
now
w
hen
t
he
ti
m
e
co
m
es.
S
t
ay
on
t
he
pa
t
h.”

             
“Wa
i
t
a
m
i
nu
t
e
!
”
S
a
m
son
sa
i
d
a
l
oud
be
f
o
r
e
Max
i
m
us
sh
i
mm
e
r
ed
and
d
i
sappea
r
ed
ri
g
ht
be
f
o
r
e
h
i
s
e
y
es.
H
e
p
i
c
k
ed up
t
he
ne
w
spaper
t
hat
had
d
r
opped
fr
om Max
i
m
us
’
s
hands
as he
’
d
de
m
a
t
e
ri
a
li
z
ed
and
t
h
r
ew
i
t
up
on
t
he
t
ab
l
e
as
he
s
li
d
fr
om
t
he boo
t
h and
w
a
l
k
ed out
i
n
t
o
t
he ch
ill
y
m
o
r
n
i
ng
a
ir
.

H
i
s
b
r
ea
t
h
ca
m
e
out
i
n
l
a
r
g
e
pu
ff
s
of
s
t
eam as
he
w
a
l
k
ed
b
ri
s
k
l
y a
l
ong
t
he
s
i
de
w
a
l
k back
t
o
h
i
s
apa
rt
m
en
t
.
A
s
cens
i
ons
t
o
t
he
next
l
e
v
e
l
?
D
a
m
ned
i
f
he
k
new
w
h
a
t
any
of
i
t
m
ean
t
.

H
e
w
a
l
k
ed
up
t
he
d
ri
v
e 
t
o  h
i
s
apa
rt
m
e
n
t
bu
il
d
i
ng
w
hen
he
hea
r
d
w
hat
he
w
as
ce
rt
a
i
n
w
as
a
f
a
i
nt
c
r
y
c
o
m
i
ng
fr
om
t
he
bu
il
d
i
ng
ac
r
oss
t
he
s
tr
ee
t
.
H
i
s
hea
ri
ng
w
a
s
sha
r
per
t
han
o
r
d
i
na
r
y
hu
m
an
au
r
al
capab
iliti
es
and
he
s
t
op
p
ed
f
or
j
ust a second
t
o be su
r
e.
T
he
r
e
i
t
w
as
a
g
a
i
n.

H
e
t
u
r
ned
on
h
i
s
heel
and
headed
back
ac
r
oss
t
he s
tr
eet
and
f
o
ll
o
w
ed
t
he
sounds
he
hea
r
d,
not
ce
rt
a
i
n
w
he
r
e
or
fr
om
w
hom
i
t
w
as
co
m
i
n
g
.
H
e
w
a
l
k
ed
i
n
t
o
a
na
r
r
ow
a
ll
e
y
w
ay be
t
w
een
t
w
o apa
rt
m
ent
bu
il
d
i
n
g
s
and headed
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he
du
m
ps
t
e
r
.
T
he
r
e appea
r
ed
t
o
be
no
t
h
i
ng
t
he
r
e
but
an
o
l
d
p
il
e
of
newspape
r
s and
g
a
r
ba
g
e, but
upon
             
c
l
o
s
er
i
n
v
es
ti
g
a
ti
on,
S
a
m
son d
i
sco
v
e
r
ed
t
hat
t
he
r
e
w
as
i
ndeed so
m
eone
t
he
r
e.

A
n
e
l
de
rl
y
l
oo
k
i
n
g
,
ho
m
e
l
ess
m
an
w
as
b
u
ri
ed b
e
nea
t
h
t
he
p
il
e
of
r
ubb
i
sh,
and
t
he
sounds
w
e
r
e
co
m
i
ng
fro
m
h
i
s
l
un
g
s
as
he
l
ay
t
he
r
e,
appa
r
en
tl
y c
l
ose
t
o
dea
t
h
i
n
t
he b
itt
er co
l
d.
S
a
m
son
qu
i
c
k
l
y  unco
v
e
r
ed
h
i
m
,
and
s
t
epped  ba
c
k
g
asp
i
ng
fr
om
t
he
s
m
e
l
l
of
h
i
s
un
w
ashed
body co
m
b
i
n
e
d
w
it
h deca
y
,
f
eces
and
t
he
g
a
r
ba
g
e.

H
e
r
eached
do
w
n,
b
r
ush
i
ng  back  h
i
s
l
o
n
g
,
w
h
it
e
g
r
easy ha
ir
,
and
f
e
l
t
t
he
o
l
d
m
an
’
s
nec
k
.
T
he
r
e
w
as
i
ndeed a
f
eeb
l
e
pu
l
se
be
t
w
een
t
he
r
asp
y
,
w
h
i
s
tli
ng sounds
co
m
i
ng
fr
om h
i
s
i
n
f
ec
t
ed
l
un
g
s.