As she lay in bed, waiting to fall asleep, she remembered that she’d left the book out on her kitchen table. Speaking with John had rekindled her enthusiasm, and she’d stayed up late trying, once again, to crack the book. As she got up, the dogs didn’t even move. Sacked out next to the bed, Lizzie looked at them and wondered what mischief they got into every day, to be so tired and sleep so deeply every night.

She made her way quietly into the kitchen, and without flipping any lights on, gathered up the book. She’d have left it until morning, but she felt a little guilty about the book’s outing earlier. She felt like she’d been a little careless, taking it with her to the café. The least she could do was make sure her puny desk drawer lock protected the book.

On the way to her converted study, she passed by the large windows in her living room. She kept the curtains open because it entertained the dogs to watch the squirrels and lizards. Kind of like nature TV for dogs. It also happened to be a full-ish moon out. So when a large dog-like creature passed by the window, the movement caught her eye. What the flip?

She stopped in her tracks. Something, some internal voice, told her to be very still. She knew it wasn’t Spencer. This time, the creature was in her front yard, not the half-wild land behind her house. And seeing him this close, his size was more apparent. Easily half again as big as Spencer. Likely more. Too big to be a wolf, more the size of a giant malamute, but taller and rangier. Maybe a hybrid? Mr. Cook had said wolf-hybrid.

She watched him as he systematically crossed her lawn, zigzagging back and forth. Then he moved along the edge where grass and concrete met. It was bizarre. It looked like he was searching for something. As she continued to stand unmoving in her living room, he ran his nose along the bottom edge of her garage door. She lost sight of him for a moment. When he came back into view, she was riveted to the same spot.

She was no expert, but what he did next looked more like a drug-dog than stray wolf-dog. Watching him, she almost dropped the book she was carrying. He approached her car and circled it systematically. His nose never left the car. He paid especially close attention to the hood, and the driver and passenger doors. At one point, he placed his paws very carefully on her car, only the pads of his feet touching it, and continued to sniff. Focusing on the seams and crevices. What the hell?