I’d been up all night and then on a long morning ride without anything to eat. So I headed over. I should talk to Stephanie before I saw Mom and Norm, to see if anyone had missed me.
I went around to the hummingbird feeder, stood on my tiptoes. Peeked in the window. I saw Stephanie coming out of the women’s room and signaled for her to come out onto the porch. Then I ran around to meet her.
Stephanie burst through the screen door with Nick right behind her and touched my arm, saying, “We didn’t tell Daddy you went to the barn. He thinks you just got up.”
“Really? Does Mom know?”
“Yes—but get this—she told Daddy you were still asleep.”
Something fluttered in my chest.
“And guess what? Mr. Morgan came by a few minutes ago. He is really, really mad—somebody let his wolves go.”
I glanced at Nick, then let my eyes grow wide with shock. “Really?”
“Yeah. He said they cost him three hundred dollars apiece.”
I swallowed. I let my eyes slip over to Nick, then back to Stephanie, and Stephanie shook her head, just barely. She hadn’t told him. “Gosh, I wonder who did it?”
“He thinks it was somebody who was at the talk last night,” Nick offered.
“Wow. Is breakfast over? I’m starved.”
“I think there’s still some cereal and biscuits on the buffet table,” said Nick.
“Hey, Nick, nobody would think it was weird for you to go get seconds, right?” Stephanie said.
“Not hardly,” he said, grinning.
“Could you please, please get Diana a biscuit? So she doesn’t have to talk to the ‘rents?”
Nick gave Stephanie a funny look. Probably surprised to see us getting along.
But he said, “Well, okay,” and went back inside.
“Oh, no,” Stephanie said, the second he left. “What are we going to do? We’re going to be in so muchtrouble. That man was so mad. And he seems like he’s so mean, Diana.”
“Maggie and Russell are mad, too! They went out looking for the wolves. And they think some of the farmers around are going to kill Waya and Oginali. This is terrible. Don’t tell anybody yet, even Nick. We need time to figure this out. Okay? Swear?”
Stephanie looked like she might be sick, but she nodded. “Your mom wondered if you’d taken your pill,” she said.
“I did.” I didn’t look at Stephanie. Looked out at the purple-hued angles of the mountains, pink-framed in the morning sky. I scanned the tree line, wondering if Waya and Oginali had stayed together. Or separated. I wondered how far a wolf could go in one day.
The screen door slammed.
“Here.” Nick handed me a glass of orange juice and three warm, butter-soaked biscuits wrapped in a napkin.
“Oh, man, thanks; you’re the best,” I said. Saliva flooded my mouth and I ate half a biscuit in one bite and gulped the orange juice.
I was still eating when an old pickup truck pulled up a minute later. A tall man wearing a flannel shirt and faded jeans got out. He wore granny glasses, and his hair was longish and blonde with some gray mixedin. A silver refrigerator compartment occupied a third of the flatbed of his truck. Stacks of plastic containers and coiled lengths of ivory-colored rubber tubing filled the rest. Hanging out of one box was the longest rubber glove I’d ever seen. It looked long enough to go up to a person’s shoulder.
His boots scuffed the front steps and he smiled at us. “Afternoon, folks,” he said. “Maggie around?”
“She’s out looking for some wolves,” I said.
“I know; I’m Doc. She called me about it.” Doc leaned against the porch railing. “I sure hope we can find those pups. I love those wolves. First time I went to vaccinate them I went inside their pen and was kneeling down to get the syringe, and Waya stole my dern medical bag. She ran around with it for a while, and I swear she was smiling. Then she dropped it and walked away, so I headed over to get it, and just as I’m leaning over to pick it up Oginali comes running by and grabs it. I
I went around to the hummingbird feeder, stood on my tiptoes. Peeked in the window. I saw Stephanie coming out of the women’s room and signaled for her to come out onto the porch. Then I ran around to meet her.
Stephanie burst through the screen door with Nick right behind her and touched my arm, saying, “We didn’t tell Daddy you went to the barn. He thinks you just got up.”
“Really? Does Mom know?”
“Yes—but get this—she told Daddy you were still asleep.”
Something fluttered in my chest.
“And guess what? Mr. Morgan came by a few minutes ago. He is really, really mad—somebody let his wolves go.”
I glanced at Nick, then let my eyes grow wide with shock. “Really?”
“Yeah. He said they cost him three hundred dollars apiece.”
I swallowed. I let my eyes slip over to Nick, then back to Stephanie, and Stephanie shook her head, just barely. She hadn’t told him. “Gosh, I wonder who did it?”
“He thinks it was somebody who was at the talk last night,” Nick offered.
“Wow. Is breakfast over? I’m starved.”
“I think there’s still some cereal and biscuits on the buffet table,” said Nick.
“Hey, Nick, nobody would think it was weird for you to go get seconds, right?” Stephanie said.
“Not hardly,” he said, grinning.
“Could you please, please get Diana a biscuit? So she doesn’t have to talk to the ‘rents?”
Nick gave Stephanie a funny look. Probably surprised to see us getting along.
But he said, “Well, okay,” and went back inside.
“Oh, no,” Stephanie said, the second he left. “What are we going to do? We’re going to be in so muchtrouble. That man was so mad. And he seems like he’s so mean, Diana.”
“Maggie and Russell are mad, too! They went out looking for the wolves. And they think some of the farmers around are going to kill Waya and Oginali. This is terrible. Don’t tell anybody yet, even Nick. We need time to figure this out. Okay? Swear?”
Stephanie looked like she might be sick, but she nodded. “Your mom wondered if you’d taken your pill,” she said.
“I did.” I didn’t look at Stephanie. Looked out at the purple-hued angles of the mountains, pink-framed in the morning sky. I scanned the tree line, wondering if Waya and Oginali had stayed together. Or separated. I wondered how far a wolf could go in one day.
The screen door slammed.
“Here.” Nick handed me a glass of orange juice and three warm, butter-soaked biscuits wrapped in a napkin.
“Oh, man, thanks; you’re the best,” I said. Saliva flooded my mouth and I ate half a biscuit in one bite and gulped the orange juice.
I was still eating when an old pickup truck pulled up a minute later. A tall man wearing a flannel shirt and faded jeans got out. He wore granny glasses, and his hair was longish and blonde with some gray mixedin. A silver refrigerator compartment occupied a third of the flatbed of his truck. Stacks of plastic containers and coiled lengths of ivory-colored rubber tubing filled the rest. Hanging out of one box was the longest rubber glove I’d ever seen. It looked long enough to go up to a person’s shoulder.
His boots scuffed the front steps and he smiled at us. “Afternoon, folks,” he said. “Maggie around?”
“She’s out looking for some wolves,” I said.
“I know; I’m Doc. She called me about it.” Doc leaned against the porch railing. “I sure hope we can find those pups. I love those wolves. First time I went to vaccinate them I went inside their pen and was kneeling down to get the syringe, and Waya stole my dern medical bag. She ran around with it for a while, and I swear she was smiling. Then she dropped it and walked away, so I headed over to get it, and just as I’m leaning over to pick it up Oginali comes running by and grabs it. I
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