Blood From a Stone (94 page)

“
H
e
y
.”
S
he s
m
il
ed.
S
o
i
t
w
as
h
i
m
a
ft
er a
ll
. “What
a
r
e
y
ou do
i
n
g
?”

“We
ll
…
I
’
m
at
w
o
r
k
.
Y
ou
k
now
t
hat
I
’
m
s
u
r
e,
s
i
nce
y
ou
‘r
e
o
ffi
c
i
a
ll
y
a
s
t
a
l
k
e
r
.”
she
j
o
k
ed.
“
Y
ou
seem
t
o
k
now e
x
ac
tl
y
w
he
r
e
t
o
fi
nd
m
e
and
w
hat
I
’
m
do
i
ng
as p
r
o
v
en by
l
ast n
i
g
h
t‘
s
littl
e escapade, no?” she
t
eased.

“We
ll
,
tr
ue.
B
ut
t
echn
i
ca
ll
y
,
i
t
w
asn’t
s
t
a
l
k
i
n
g
.
I
t’
s ca
ll
ed,
‘
P
u
t
-
he
r
-
on
-
t
he
-
spo
t
,
so
-
she
-
can
’t
-
sa
y
-
no
w
hen
y
ou ask her
ou
t
.’
H
e
l
au
g
hed.

“
Y
eah
I
g
uess
y
ou
d
i
d
t
hat
d
i
dn
’
t
y
ou,”
she s
m
ir
k
ed
t
o he
r
se
lf
.
“
S
o,
w
hat
a
r
e
y
ou
do
i
n
g
?”

“
N
ot 
m
uch…
j
ust 
fi
g
u
ri
ng 
out 
a 
littl
e pro
b
lem.
…for
w
o
r
k
.“
H
e s
t
u
m
b
l
ed o
v
er
t
he
w
o
r
ds.

I
t
sounded
v
a
g
ue
enou
g
h.
A
nd
i
t
w
asn
’
t
r
ea
ll
y a
li
e.
T
r
y
i
ng
t
o
fi
g
u
r
e
out
w
hat
t
he
he
l
l
w
as
g
o
i
ng on
w
i
t
h
h
i
s
b
l
ood
w
as, a
ft
er
a
ll
, so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
hat
a
ff
ec
t
ed h
i
s
en
tir
e ex
i
s
t
ence.

“I
k
now
w
e
w
e
r
e
t
o
g
e
t
her
l
ast
n
i
g
h
t
,
b
ut
do
y
ou
w
ant
t
o
ha
v
e
d
i
nner
w
it
h
m
e
t
on
i
g
h
t
?
I don
‘
t
w
ant
t
o
pu
s
h
t
o
ha
r
d
t
oo soon.
S
o
i
f
it’
s
a bad
ti
m
e…” h
i
s
v
o
i
ce
tr
a
il
ed o
ff
.

S
he
s
m
il
ed.
“
Y
eah.
A
c
t
ua
ll
y
,
t
hat
sou
n
ds….n
i
ce.
I
’l
l ca
l
l
S
asha
and
ask
her
t
o
e
it
her
s
t
ay
l
a
t
er
at
m
y
pl
ace
w
it
h
C
i
sco
or
g
o ahead and head ho
m
e
i
f she doesn
’
t
w
ant
t
o hang out
t
he
r
e
past
9
w
hen
I
g
et
o
ff
.
I
s
t
hat
t
oo
l
a
t
e
f
or
d
i
nner
t
hou
g
h?”

“
Y
ou
’r
e
w
o
rt
h
t
he
w
a
it
,”
he
sa
i
d.
“
I
’l
l
p
i
ck
y
ou
up
a
littl
e a
ft
er
9.
Whe
r
e do
y
ou
w
ant
m
e
t
o
m
eet
y
ou?”

“I
g
uess
t
he
sa
m
e
p
l
ace
as
l
ast
n
i
g
h
t
.
E
l
e
v
a
t
or
i
n
t
he pa
r
k
i
ng
g
a
r
a
g
e?” she sa
i
d.

“
I
’l
l
be
t
he
r
e.”
H
e hung
up.

H
e
’
d
spent
t
he
m
o
r
n
i
ng ponde
ri
ng h
i
s
s
it
ua
ti
on
t
o
no a
v
a
i
l
and
fi
na
ll
y dec
i
ded
i
t
w
asn
’
t
g
o
i
ng an
y
w
he
r
e,
so
he
t
ook
t
he
r
a
t
s
t
o
t
he
nea
r
est
pa
r
k
and
l
et
t
hem
g
o,
and
headed
t
o
an e
l
ec
tr
on
i
cs 
s
t
o
r
e 
t
o 
i
n
v
es
ti
g
a
t
e 
t
h
i
s 
t
echno
l
o
g
y 
c
all
ed
‘
pe
r
sonal
co
m
pu
t
e
r
s.’