The Wood Wife by Terri Windling (the false prince TXT) 📕

was alarmed. “I was out for a while walking in the hills. I came back and the door was unlocked.”

“Something or someone?” Juan asked her, eyes narrowed.

“Come look for yourself,” Maggie replied. She led them through the door and into the hallway, stepping over leaves and mud.

Dora sucked in her breath when she entered the kitchen behind her husband and saw what they’d done. What something had done—for Maggie was right. There were animal tracks, and no human ones. The mud was particularly curious. Outside, the wash was dry as a bone.

Juan sniffed. “What is that smell?” he asked.

“It’s in the study,” Maggie said flatly. They followed her to Cooper’s office.

“Shit,” Dora said.

Maggie smiled wryly. “My sentiments exactly.”

Juan stepped carefully over the puddles of urine and squatted in the center of the room. “This is animal scat. Coyote I think. Lots of coyotes, and pretty fresh. They must have gotten into the house somehow. I’ll be damned. They’re not usually so bold as this.” He looked up at them, his face containing more puzzlement than alarm. “Perhaps the doors blew open and they came in looking for some food?” he conjectured. “Or chased a rabbit into the house. That’s the only scenario I can think of that would account for their coming in here. Perhaps a whole hunting pack of them. Are you absolutely sure the doors were locked?”

“I think so. But no, I’m not absolutely sure. I must not have locked them after all. I didn’t know coyotes could be such a problem. I saw one in the yard just this morning. He was so beautiful, it never occurred to me to wonder if he was dangerous.”

Dora said, “I’ve never known them to be. Except to mice and rabbits and cats. But I’ve never seen anything like this before either.”

“They’re wild animals, don’t forget,” said Juan. “They look like dogs, but they’re closer to wolves. When exactly did this happen, Maggie?”

The woman frowned, considering. “I went out walking just before sunset. I was coming back when Dora stopped me—so sometime in the last couple of hours. I heard coyotes when I was out there. Back in the hills, not near the house. But come to think of it, yesterday Fox and I startled a huge owl nesting in here. Perhaps the local wildlife have gotten used to this house being empty.”

“In just six months?” Juan said skeptically. “Animals are generally more wary of human habitats than that.”

“They weren’t wary of this one, were they? It looks like they had the whole pack in here, having a party. I wonder if they’re likely to come back? And what they’d do if they found me here?”

“They’d run, I should think,” said Dora. “Fox always says they have better reason to be scared of us than we do of them.”

Juan said, “We should give Fox a call. Maybe he can make head or tail of this.”

“The phone’s in the kitchen,” Maggie told him. “And that bottle of tequila I promised you. I’m going to open it. I don’t know about you all, but I seriously need a drink.”

Maggie fetched the tequila bottle and made up a pitcher of strong margueritas, while Dora searched for some unbroken glasses and Juan got Fox on the phone.

“I don’t think anything’s been stolen,” Dora heard Juan tell him. “I think she just had animals in here. You come look, and then you tell me. All right. We’ll see you in five.”

He turned around and said to Maggie, “Fox is coming right over. Now listen, why don’t you have supper with us, and spend the night at our place? We should clean up whatever stinks right away, but I’d say leave the rest for the morning. You’re tired now, and things have a way of looking worse at night.”

Maggie gave Juan a grateful smile. “I’d love to stay at your house tonight. I don’t think I’d sleep, staying here.”

“I’ve a day off work tomorrow,” Dora told her, “and I can help you clean this up. Not much of a welcome to the mountain is it? Don’t worry. It’s not usually like this. It’s usually quiet and peaceful up here. You’ll love it when you get to know it.”

“Well, Davis loved it,” she said dubiously. Clearly it wasn’t an opinion Maggie shared.

But then, she hadn’t been here long; it hadn’t yet gotten into her bones. Dora hadn’t liked the desert herself when she’d first come here, trailing after Juan. But the desert had claimed her, entering her heart and marking her there as one of its own. Now she was like her desert-born husband: unfit to live anywhere else.

She heard Fox’s boots crunching over the yard, the creak of the porch floor under his step. He gave a low whistle as he came through the door, his eyes surveying the damage. He crouched down and looked closely at the prints, his knees poking through the holes in his jeans. “Animals all right. Maybe coyotes. Doesn’t make a lick of sense though.” He straightened, frowning. “Are you all right?” he asked Maggie with concern.

Maggie nodded. “Just a bit shook up. This doesn’t happen in California,” she answered with a dry smile. “Breaking-and-entering is generally committed by animals of the two-legged kind.”

“I’d rather take my chances with coyotes. I’ve never heard tell of them harming anyone.” Fox picked up a kitchen chair and set it on its feet again. Then he gave Maggie a long, thoughtful look. “I think you should talk to John Alder about this—up the road in the Big House. He’s a bit of a wildlife expert. I can take you up there in the morning.”

“Let’s call John now,” Dora suggested.

Fox shook his head. “He’s not home. He’s down at Tanque Verde Falls. Just got back from there myself.”

It was only then that Dora noted Fox had climbing gear clipped to his belt. “You’ve been out with Mountain Search and Rescue again? Has anyone been hurt?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed, his voice edged with his disgust, “another drunk high