Part 2, Chapters 5-6 (pages 211-230) Summary

Chapter 5 takes the form of Delaney's magazine column, "Pilgrim at Topanga Creek." Delaney writes about the coyote, an animal that has been on his mind lately. The adaptable coyote is ideally suited to its environment, happy among suburban lawns and the wild canyon. Delaney writes about coyotes' attacks on dogs and infants and the subsequent need for humans to control the coyote population. He says that the coyote is not to blame, because it is only trying to survive.

Kyra is starting to resent the Da Ros place, because nobody wants to buy it. She feels nervous during the two visits she must make to the house every day. She has filed a complaint about the squatters with the Sheriff's Department, but nothing has come of it. Kyra has an arrangement with Darlene, a worker...