Vision in Silver(71)

            Simon sighed. “Maybe to say, ‘Sorry I almost bit you,’ to Ruthie?”

            Kowalski stared at the buildings across the street. “We went out to all the farms yesterday, drove around for hours checking anyplace that might have been doing that to those girls. Lieutenant Montgomery, Debany, MacDonald, me. Even Captain Burke. And I’m pretty sure the captain had a quiet word with other patrol captains, because I saw men from other districts on the roads too, looking. It made you angry, hearing about what they did to girls like Meg, to the babies. It made us angry too. Maybe if I’d received a phone call like that, learned about it like that, I might have taken a swing at someone because I couldn’t think straight. Would have been sorry for it, and would have been glad that someone stopped me. What I’m saying is, we all understood why you lashed out. You don’t have to make up for being upset by offering Ruthie and me a place to live.”

            He hadn’t expected understanding. Somehow that made him feel worse about snapping at Merri Lee and Ruthie.

            “That’s not the only reason to do this. Maybe we want to find out if it can be done. The Intuits and the Simple Life folk have lived alongside the terra indigene for many generations, and each side fulfills parts of the bargain so that all sides have enough without constantly fighting for territory. But we haven’t made those kinds of bargains with your kind of human.” Wouldn’t have even considered making such a bargain until Meg started working for them and they had to allow for her need to have human friends.

            “I’ll talk to Ruthie,” Kowalski said. “It’s a decision we need to make together.”

            As mates should.

            Kowalski’s mobile phone rang. A brief call. “Captain Burke wants to see me.”

            Simon pulled the door open but Kowalski hesitated.

            “Thank you. It means a lot that you would do this for us.” Kowalski went inside and headed for HGR’s back door.

            Simon returned to the checkout counter and continued filling orders.

            He’d said the words. Hopefully he hadn’t made a mistake that would threaten everyone in the Courtyard.





CHAPTER 16




Firesday, Maius 11


Meg sat at the top of the stairs leading to her apartment, a book beside her. Her porch provided shelter in bad weather and shade when it was sunny. It had latticework for privacy. What it didn’t have was anyplace to sit.

            Some of the apartments in the Green Complex had porches; others didn’t. None of the other porches had the privacy latticework. They also didn’t have furniture. Too early in the season? Or didn’t Hawks, Owls, and Crows bother with furniture since the porch railing was a sufficient perch?

            Tomorrow she would look through the ads in the Lakeside News to get an idea of what people might buy for outdoor furniture. This evening . . .

            “Want to take a walk?”

            She looked at Simon standing at the bottom of the stairs.

            “Okay,” she said. “Aren’t you going to shift first?”

            “No.”

            Not the answer she expected. Simon usually shifted to Wolf as soon as he got home, relieved to be out of the human skin.

            Taking the book inside, she exchanged the soft house shoes for sneakers. A walk with Simon could mean anything from an amble to a muscle-burning pace, and just because he started out in human form didn’t mean he wouldn’t be trotting along on four legs by the time it was finished.

            She closed her front door, then joined Simon.

            “You need to read this first.” He unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to her.

            Haven’t we all faced enough today? she thought as she refolded the paper and handed it back to him.