Fine by him. Blair and Henry were taking two of the Courtyard’s vehicles to make a second cargo run, which made him think Meg might be right about hiring the Harry to pick up deliveries.

The back door opened. Michael Debany eased around the boxes piled willy-nilly.

“You want me to break down the empty boxes?” Debany asked.

“Break down?”

“Slit them at the seams and flatten the cardboard.”

Simon pondered that for a moment. Did the Others have a use for flat cardboard? “No. We can use the boxes to ship the books we’re sending to other places.”

Debany lifted a handful of books out of the top box and handed them to Simon without marking the packing slip. It reminded him of Sam offering toys in an effort to engage an adult because he was unhappy about something. Since Simon didn’t know why Debany was unhappy, he placed the books together on a shelf instead of where they were supposed to go. He would mark the packing slip after the human went away.

“I heard from Bee. Barb. My sister?”

Wondering why that would make the man unhappy, Simon said, “Isn’t that good?”

“It is, yes. She’s settling in and busy.” Debany’s laugh sounded forced. “They gave her a horse. She’ll never come back.”

Simon stopped trying to work and studied the police officer. “Some young stay with their pack, but others have to leave their home territory to find a place in a new pack or to find a mate. Humans travel for those reasons too.”

“You found a place where she can do the kind of work she wanted to do. I appreciate it.”

“No, you don’t.”

This laugh sounded more natural. “I do, but I don’t.” Debany sighed. “It’s so far away now, you know? A couple of months ago, Bennett would have been just as far away, but Mom and Dad would have been talking about making a visit to see Barb’s new home. They would have sent an e-mail a couple of times a week to keep in touch and make sure she was doing okay. But now, they can’t call to say hello or receive a quick response that would reassure them. It’s different now.”

“Yes, it’s different now.” Debany was thinking about quick communication, but Simon was thinking about Joe Wolfgard, whose howl wouldn’t be heard again. “But you gave your sister labels and stamps, and Tolya and Jesse Walker gave her postcards and paper to write letters.” And knowing the girl’s connection to the Lakeside Courtyard, Tolya would keep an eye on her. Not sure if that would be a comfort, he didn’t mention it.

“Merri says if I want to receive letters, I’d better start writing letters.”