Blood From a Stone (216 page)

N
o
w
…
w
it
h
h
i
s
hea
r
t
no
l
ess hea
v
i
er
t
han h
i
s sp
iri
t
as
he
con
fr
on
t
ed
t
he
r
ea
lit
y
t
hat
i
t
w
as
o
v
e
r
,
he
cou
l
d
on
l
y hope
t
hat
i
t
w
as
f
or
t
he
best
and
t
hat
so
m
ehow
i
t
se
r
v
ed
t
he
g
r
ea
t
est
g
ood.
H
e
cou
l
d
on
l
y
t
a
k
e
co
m
f
o
r
t
i
n
t
he
f
act
t
hat
a
t
l
east
he
’
d be caus
i
ng
her
no
f
u
rt
her
hea
rt
aches.

H
e
s
i
g
hed.
N
o
w
…
i
t
w
as
j
ust
a
w
a
iti
ng
g
a
m
e.
F
i
g
u
r
i
ng out
w
hat
t
o do
w
it
h h
i
s
ti
m
e un
ti
l
t
he next
C
han
g
e
ca
m
e.

H
e
t
h
r
ew
t
he
t
e
l
e
v
i
s
i
on
r
e
m
o
t
e
do
w
n
on
t
he
couch
w
e
i
g
h
i
ng
h
i
s
op
ti
ons.
Ma
y
be
he
needed
t
o
tr
y
t
o
f
o
r
g
et
any of
t
h
i
s
e
v
er
happened.
I
t
w
as
nea
rl
y
d
i
nner
ti
m
e,  and
a
n
i
ce bu
r
g
er
or
a
sand
w
i
ch…a
co
l
d
bee
r
,
a
g
a
m
e
of
pool
and so
m
e
l
oud
m
us
i
c a
l
l
sounded p
r
e
tt
y
da
m
ned pa
l
a
t
ab
l
e
ri
g
ht
no
w
.
H
e
g
ot
up,
put
on
h
i
s
boo
t
s,
t
h
r
ew on
a
j
ac
k
et
and headed
out
t
he
door
t
o
t
he
nea
r
est
ne
i
g
hbo
r
hood
pu
b
. 
H
e
f
ound
a
littl
e
p
l
ace
t
w
o
b
l
oc
k
s
o
v
er
ca
ll
ed
‘
B
i
g 
E
d
d
i
e
’
s
B
u
r
g
e
r
s
and
B
r
e
w
’
.

F
ift
een
m
i
nu
t
es
l
a
t
e
r
,
as
t
he
j
u
k
ebox d
r
oned,
he cha
l
k
ed
h
i
s
cue
and
t
ook a
s
w
i
g of
beer
as
he
w
a
ite
d
f
or
h
i
s bu
r
g
e
r
.
H
e
qu
i
c
k
l
y
w
on
t
he
g
a
m
e,
shook hands
w
it
h
hi
s o
p
ponent
and
w
a
l
k
ed
back o
v
er
t
o
t
he
boo
t
h
he
’
d
t
a
k
en
as
h
i
s
f
ood a
rri
v
ed.

T
he
w
a
itr
ess
s
m
il
ed
seduc
ti
v
e
l
y and
sa
i
d,
“
Y
ou
l
et
m
e
k
now
i
f
I
can
g
et
y
ou
an
y
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se.”
S
he
l
oo
k
ed
b
a
ck
o
v
er her
shou
l
der
at
h
i
m
as
she sasha
y
ed a
w
a
y
. He
s
m
il
ed
as
he
ad
m
ir
ed
her
shape
l
y body and
l
ong 
l
e
g
s.
T
he
r
e
w
as
no
doubt
she
w
as
co
m
i
ng  on
t
o h
i
m
…and he had
t
o ad
m
i
t
she
w
as p
r
e
tt
y
da
m
ned cu
t
e.

H
e
t
ook
a
l
a
r
g
e
b
it
e
of
h
i
s
sand
w
i
ch,
as
he
tri
ed
t
o
p
i
c
t
u
r
e
her
na
k
ed
body
w
r
apped
a
r
ound
h
i
s
o
w
n.
B
ut
t
hat
v
i
s
i
on
f
aded
v
e
r
y
qu
i
c
k
l
y
and
w
as
r
ep
l
aced
by
t
he
m
e
m
o
r
y of W
ill
o
w
….her
l
on
g
,
g
o
l
den
ha
i
r
sp
r
ead
a
r
ound
her
li
k
e
a
ha
l
o as
she
’
d been en
g
u
lf
ed by
t
he
w
a
r
m
t
h of
t
he
i
r
l
o
v
e
m
a
k
i
n
g
.