a sport could not compete with fresh, beef-flavored cookies. Since Meg had a feeling Simon was going to be a little sulky too, she set aside two of the beef-flavored cookies for him.
• • •
Walking back to A Little Bite, Tess stopped when she saw Henry looking at her over the wooden gate that opened onto his yard. She glanced at the Liaison’s Office and the sorting room’s open window.
he growled.
she agreed, then silently added, Yet.
The coils in her hair relaxed. The Grizzly’s presence would discourage many things, but it wouldn’t hurt to suggest to Simon that the Hawks keep an aerial watch while one of their own was in enemy territory.
CHAPTER 16
Windsday, Juin 13
“Pull into the customer parking lot,” Monty told Officer Debany. Kowalski was taking a couple of personal days to move into the two-family house across from the Courtyard, so Debany was standing in as Monty’s driver and partner.
Many police officers in the Chestnut Street station supported the idea of cooperating with the Others, of keeping things peaceful with the beings who controlled most of the world and had the final say in what happened to humans living in Lakeside. But being supportive wasn’t the same as being willing to stand on the front line and interact with the terra indigene on a daily basis—especially when family members could be ostracized by their friends and neighbors because of the officer’s decision. That was a real possibility—as Louis Gresh and his family well knew. So far no one had stepped forward to be Michael Debany’s new partner and the fourth member of the team assigned to deal with the Lakeside Courtyard.
Monty didn’t know what to do about that. Apparently, neither did Captain Burke. Or maybe Burke, understanding that the assignment wasn’t just about another officer in the patrol car, didn’t want another personality added to the mix right now because in the back of the minds of the officers who were already closely involved with the Others was a single word: extinction.
The other concern about assigning a new officer left a bad taste in Monty’s mouth, but he had to acknowledge the truth: they couldn’t afford to have an officer who belonged to the Humans First and Last movement infiltrating the Courtyard and spying on the Others so that the HFL leaders could plan effective attacks.
As he and Debany walked to Howling Good Reads, Monty paused and studied the two-family house. “How is the move going? Wasn’t Karl picking up his furniture and possessions yesterday?” He’d heard what happened with Ruth; he wondered if things had been that bad for Karl.
Debany hesitated. “Karl’s parents aren’t bad people. Lawrence and I and a few other officers were at a cookout at their house last summer, and it was great. But now they’re blaming Karl’s assignment for everything from the butcher selling the last pot roast before Mrs. K. got to the shop to the price of gasoline. His brother, Tim, was halfway drunk when Karl got to the house yesterday morning, and abusive because of it. Karl wasn’t getting any help loading the furniture—and some of that stuff you really couldn’t lift alone. Then Henry and Blair drove up in the pickup. Didn’t say anything; just loaded furniture in the back of the pickup while Karl packed the van with boxes. Then they drove off.”
“Did Karl’s parents say anything about the terra indigene helping out?”
Another hesitation. “Probably, but he won’t talk about it.”
Monty kept his eyes focused on the building across the street. Gods, his men were taking an emotional beating for doing what they knew would help everyone in the city. “What about you and your family?”
“My folks are worried, especially after Lawrence was killed at the stall market, but they’re supportive. They’ve taken some flak about me being a Wolf lover, which ticked them off.” Debany gave Monty a sheepish smile. “My sister wants a job where she can ride a horse and work with animals, so she keeps asking about the River Road Community—what sort of job skills are they looking for, when are they taking applications.”
“Why don’t you talk to Roger Czerneda? As a fellow officer, he might have more information and be willing to