“Can’t you just leave him here?” asked Charlie. “I mean in the forest down the road?”

“Why, Charlie,” said Miss Webster. “I think you like that bear.”

“He lived his whole life here. Al said he knew him from when he was a cub. He probably has his whole family in the woods here somewhere,” said Charlie. “His mother and father and sisters and brothers won’t know what has happened to him.”

Fiona had a feeling Charlie was going to forget herself and start talking about sisters scattered to the four winds because no one came forward to care for them and give away their situation to Mr. Pettinger so she interrupted and said to him, “Would you like a cookie? Marlin made them and they just came out of the oven.”

“I’d better get the bear in the truck,” said Mr. Pettinger.

“I want to go home,” whispered Ashley to Charlie. “Why did Miss Webster come?”

“Oh, I’m an old family friend,” said Miss Webster, overhearing. She and Fiona shot each other a sudden look. “Always happy to help out. Now, Mr. Pettinger, can you tell these girls where the bear is going?”

“Would you like to see where I’m taking the bear?” asked Mr. Pettinger. “Or you? You’re the grade school principal, aren’t you?”

“How did you know?” asked Miss Webster.

“I’ve had you pointed out to me by just about everyone I’ve met in town since taking this job,” said Mr. Pettinger.

“How funny. Why? Do your children go to Greenwillow?” asked Miss Webster.

“Me? No, I’m not married,” said Mr. Pettinger, turning pink and changing the subject. “I’ve room in the truck for whoever wants to come. It might make you feel better to see the nice woods this bear’s going to.”

Ashley said she didn’t want to but Miss Webster and Charlie said they would so it was agreed that Mr. Pettinger would drop Ashley off at her house on their way out of town.

“What about Al?” asked Marlin, digging her elbow into Fiona’s ribs. “Do we still give him cookies?”

Fiona thought about it. “I’ll take them over anyway with his dinner and tell him he’s not needed. He never showed up so he probably didn’t even remember that he was supposed to drive her,” she said. “We can tell him it’s credit for a favor in the future.”

In less time than Charlie expected, the bear was safely loaded and then they were off.

Fiona, watching them drive away, felt weak in the knees from the excitement so she ate one of Al’s cookies on the way over to his house. One less cookie wouldn’t make a difference, she decided. Nor would two.

When she told Al about the whole episode he looked upset. He stood staring dully down the road as she handed him his cookies. He didn’t seem to notice them in his hands.

“So Billy’s gone for good, I guess,” he said flatly.

“Yep,” she said, handing him his dinner too. “And since you didn’t have to drive Ashley home we thought the cookies could be credit for something in the future.”