The Stroke of Winter(15)

“How long have you been hearing it? The scratching.”

“Since winter fell,” she said. “I moved here in September and didn’t hear anything until, I don’t know, late November, maybe. So just a couple of weeks. But not every night.”

“Only at night?”

She nodded. “I figured it was some kind of reaction to me opening up the house and starting renovations. I was hoping it would just go away, but . . .”

“Sometimes animals that get in leave on their own, back the way they came,” Wyatt said. “Especially now because there’s a dog in the house. Animals can smell dogs and won’t stick around. But—” He paused before continuing.

“But what?”

“If it’s a raccoon, or even if it’s a couple of squirrels, they can do a lot of damage in a very short time,” he said. “We should get that door open today and see what we’re dealing with. Tomorrow at the latest.”

Tess’s eyes grew wide. “Today?” she squeaked. There it was again, the gnarling feeling in her stomach every time she thought about opening that door. “Isn’t that a little sudden?”

Wyatt shook his head. “No,” he said. “You could have major damage back there because of that animal.” He slid his chair back from the table and pushed himself up to his feet. “Let me get going and make a couple of calls. I know a guy in Salmon Bay who specializes in getting animals out of houses—raccoons, squirrels, even a bear once, I heard. He traps them humanely and moves them into the woods.”

“You don’t think it’s a bear . . . ?”

“No, no. I highly doubt a bear would be hibernating in your house.” He chuckled. “But if it’s a raccoon, that’s sort of your worst-case scenario. They can and will fight if cornered, especially by a dog. And can carry rabies. You don’t want this guy”—he nodded toward Storm—“anywhere near that. You’ll need somebody who’s trained to get it out. I’ll call my guy in Sammy. Once we get the thing trapped and out of here, then we can see what we’re dealing with in terms of how it got in.”

Tess stood up to see him out. “So, you think it’ll be today?”

Wyatt nodded, pulling on his parka. “Depending on what my guy has going. But like I said, things quiet down in the winter, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he can make it happen today.”

Tess closed the door behind him and watched him climb into his well-worn truck, tossing the tool kit into the back. Okay, she said to herself. This is happening.



Tess snapped on Storm’s leash and bundled up. She felt like taking a long walk, despite the cold. After wandering around town, Storm sniffing here and there, her waving to Jim through the window as she passed the grocery store and to Beth St. John, who owned Wharton’s independent bookstore, Just Read It, she circled back and started up toward home.

From her vantage point, a couple of blocks away from the house, she could see that back room on La Belle Vie, with its windows that had been boarded shut for generations.

Except, now, one wasn’t.

Tess could see the glass reflecting the sun, as clear as day, while the others were dark. She hadn’t noticed it before. When was the last time she had been around to the back of the house? She couldn’t recall.

All at once, she saw a shadow in the window. Movement, a dark thing. She held her breath. There it was again. A shape.

So, it was true. Something was in there. Or was it a trick of the light?

She quickened her step, hurrying up the street toward the back of the house where she saw it. Sure enough. One of the boards on the windows had been taken down.

Tess just stood there, looking up at it, wondering, the tightness growing in her stomach. Could a raccoon do that? She had heard of raccoons taking covers off chimneys, pulling away flashing, and even peeling off roof shingles to get inside. She squinted up at the window. It wasn’t broken that she could see. But whatever it was might have found itself trapped inside and somehow pried off the shutters in an effort to get out. She needed to call Wyatt. He was right. It had to be today. She didn’t want to spend another night without this being taken care of.

It was dangerous not only for her and Storm but also for the animal that was trapped inside without food or water. She hadn’t thought of that before. Delaying would mean a slow death for whatever was in there, and Tess couldn’t stomach that.

She hurried back inside and snapped off Storm’s leash. She crossed the kitchen to the hallway alcove to call Wyatt, but before she had a chance to reach the phone, it started to ring.

It was him. “Hey, Tess. My guy from Salmon Bay can be at the house by about two o’clock. Is that too soon?”

“No!” she said, louder than she had intended. “I was just out for a walk and noticed one of the shutters is off one of the back windows.”

He was quiet for a moment. “It wasn’t like that before, I’m assuming?”

“Not that I noticed. Ever since I can remember, those windows have been shuttered, dark.”

“Got it,” he said. “I’ll bring another hand to help me get that door off, and we’ll see what we’re dealing with. My guy from Sammy is going to bring some traps and other gear. We’ll get this handled for you.”

“Thank you,” she said.