August 17, Saturday

"SO YOUR hero is a stone mason?" Sawyer asked with a grin.

I smirked. "Don't let it go to your head. I was looking for a good vocation for this character and when you told me about your job, it was a good fit."

"Yeah, whatever," he said, sounding unconvinced.

To change the subject, I gestured to the graveyard beyond the gate where we were standing. "What are you working on today?"

"Since most of the headstones are in good shape now, I've been thinking about tackling the labyrinth."

"Labyrinth?"

He pointed to the ground where we stood, then crouched down to point. "It's hard to see because most of the stones have sunk. This used to be a labyrinth design." He stood and from this pocket removed a folded sheet of paper. On it was a computer design that depicted a maze of sorts.

"It's beautiful," I said. "Does it have a function?"

"Not really," he said. "It's just a nice feature of some old cemeteries."

I handed back the paper. "Looks complicated. How long will it take you?"

He gave a little shrug. "Don't know. Could take three months or more. Think you could stand having me around that much?"

I knew what he was asking. I was starting to like this man. But I didn't want to get in too deep. I didn't trust my judgment anymore. And I was leaving in a few months.

"Why don't you just take it month by month?" I asked lightly.

His mouth twitched, then he nodded. "I'll do that. Meanwhile, would you like to visit my workshop tomorrow?"

I struggled to tamp down my excitement. "I could make that work."