It held Noah’s heavy winter coats and a tall pile of folded school shirts.

“You didn’t have to pack every last shirt,” Michael said.

“Travis gets out on bail tonight,” Lena said.

Lena spun her silver wedding band nervously on her middle finger.

Her bare hands were shaking in the cold afternoon wind.

“The emergency protective order means he can’t come within five hundred feet of Noah,” Michael said.

Michael carried the first box down the walk to his car and put it in the open trunk.

He went back up to the concrete porch for the second box.