A young man with arms and legs a few sizes too large to match his body appeared from behind the corner of the building, frowning. He was dressed in sweats, a T-shirt, and boat shoes, standard easily discarded werewolf wardrobe for troubled times. He flipped an untidy mop of black hair out of his eyes and leaned against the SUV's door. "Hey, Harry."

"Kirby," I greeted him. "This is my friend Butters." Kirby nodded to Butters and asked me, "Did you spot me?"

"No, but Billy always has someone on watch outside when times are tense."

Kirby nodded, his expression serious. "What do you need?"

"Park this beast for me. I keep running into things."

"Sure. Billy and Georgia are upstairs."

I got out of the car, and Butters hopped out with me. "Thanks, man."

"Yeah," Kirby said. He got in the SUV and frowned. He looked around at all the doors.

"The door is ajar," the dashboard said.

"It won't shut up," I explained to him.

"It gets sort of Zen after a while," Butters said brightly. "Life is a journey. Time is a river. The door is a jar."

Kirby gave him a skeptical look. I grabbed Butters by the shoulder and hauled him into the building and up to the apartment.

Billy opened the door before we even got to it, and looked out expectantly. He stepped a bit to one side, holding the door open for us, watching up and down the hallway. "Heya, Harry."

The apartment was a typical college place—small, a couple of bedrooms, nothing permanent on the walls, furniture that wasn't too expensive or hard to move, and equipped with an expensive entertainment center. Georgia sat on the couch reading from one of a small mountain of medical books. I walked in and introduced everyone.

"I need a computer," I told Billy.

He arched an eyebrow at me.

I waved a hand in a vague motion. "Tell him, Butters."

Butters pulled the jump drive from his pocket and showed it to Billy. "Anything with a USB port."

Georgia frowned and asked, "What's on it?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "I need to know."

She nodded. "Better let him use the one on the far wall of the computer room, Will. The farther from Harry the better."

"Feel the love." I sighed. I pointed at the little table next to the door and asked, "Can I make a few calls while I wait?"

"Sure." Billy turned to Butters. "Right this way."

They went into one of the bedrooms. Georgia went back to her book. I picked up the phone.

The phone at my place rang a dozen times before it rattled, and then Thomas slurred, "What?"

"It's me," I said. "You all right?"

"I was all right. I was asleep. Stupid Mouse woke me up to get the phone."

"Any sign of visitors? Calls?"

"No and no," he said.

"Get some more sleep," I said.

He made a grunting noise and hung up.