The next afternoon, Mom scheduled a playdate for Katie with her friend Ivy. After she picked Amy up from school, she went up to Dad’s office to tell him what they were doing. Amy stood at the bottom of the stairs, trying to eavesdrop. She heard her mom’s voice, low … and then she heard her dad say, “Great. Let’s do it right now.” The two came down the stairs with their faces set and determined. She could see by Dad’s stoic expression that he’d been thinking the same thing, or that even if he hadn’t realized he wanted Rover out of the house, now he was all about it.

“Rover!” called Mom. “Rover, want to go for a drive?”

The dog walked calmly into the room, looking expectant and happy. Amy put his leash on in silence, noticing a fresh hot spot behind his ear.

They drove, trying to make small talk and act casual. Mom rolled down the passenger-side window in the back, and Rover got up over the back of the window and put his muzzle out into the open air. Amy watched him, fascinated. Even after everything he’d done … he was still a dog.

The thought made Amy feel bothered and anxious. It was as if Rover had ruined her own love of dogs, had turned her into the kind of unfeeling person who would get excited over sending an animal to the shelter. She missed her old self, before all this.

Amy leaned forward and put her head halfway out the window, letting the breeze hit her face. She closed her eyes and felt it run through her hair, smooth out the wrinkles in her mind.

All at once, she felt the glass edge of the window pressing against her throat. She opened her eyes to see the window closing under her, moving up like a slow guillotine. She pulled her head inside just in time, a few strands of her hair catching as the window closed.

“Mom, careful!” Amy yelled.

“What?” Mom asked. Amy looked and saw that both her hands were on the steering wheel, while Dad’s sat folded in his lap.

They hadn’t touched the window controls.

“Nothing,” Amy muttered, staring straight ahead and trying to ignore the presence behind her. If she complained, Rover might hear something in her voice. He might realize what they were doing. She couldn’t risk it.

They got to the low, gray shelter building, and Dad said, in a fake-cheery voice, “We’re here!” They all climbed out, then got Rover from the back. The dog walked with them slowly, his head darting around to take in the surroundings.

They got him inside the front office before he stopped dead and let out a whuff. In a room beyond the front desk, Amy heard dogs bark and a cat cry out.