“Back in town, couple blocks from my ma’s place and around the corner from the courthouse, there’s a place that has rooms to let. Cheap but clean. Bernie Sandusky runs it.” He laughed. “Tell old Bernie that Danny sent you.”

“Why, that’ll get me a reduced rate?”

“Nope, more likely get your butt kicked out the door.”

“Why’s that?”

“Bernie has a real cute granddaughter named Dottie. Few years ago he caught me and Dottie in one of his rooms working on our biology homework.” He laughed and pitched a big load of manure into the wheelbarrow. “Okay, I’m done shoveling shit. You’re on your own, dude.”

Stone watched until Danny and his ride disappeared from sight. He finished his work and later idly followed a path that wound around a small hill covered with scrub pines. Abby’s property seemed to have no end. He reached another gravel road that headed back out another way. As his eye followed its path he reckoned it would go back out to the main road at some point, on the other side from where he’d come to the farm.

A few minutes later Stone followed a dirt path that was worn black and finally led to an old barn that looked close to falling down. Inside was an old gray pickup truck, bales of rotted hay, and rusted tractors and other farm equipment.

He perched on the bumper of the pickup and counted his meager cash. An act of kindness on his part to help Danny had really cost him. The train ticket hadn’t been cheap and the bus ride just to the vicinity of Divine had cost him still more precious dollars. Danny had offered to pay but Stone had refused. And he still had to rent a room in town. He prayed that rich Abby would be generous with her payment for the day’s work so he could move on.

Yet should he even still be thinking of escape? Maybe when he’d jumped off the damn cliff, he should have just sucked in a chest of water and ended it. What did he have to live for anyway?

What do I have to live for?

He heard a vehicle skid to a stop outside. He hopped off the bumper and walked outside in time to see Abby step from the truck cab.

“Taking a stroll around the place?” she said, not smiling.

“I finished up at the stables. Beautiful property you have here.”

“Okay,” she said, her features unreadable.

“Doesn’t look like this place gets much use anymore,” he said, looking toward the barn.