The Tortilla Curtain

Before they host their Thanksgiving dinner, Delaney and his family attend a party at Dominick Flood’s house. Delaney leaves Kyra’s mother, Kit, to flirt with Dominick and wanders to the table spread with roast suckling pig, steamed lobsters, and sushi platters. He picks at a spicy scallop roll but does not want to ruin his appetite for dinner. He chats with Jack Jardine and his family. Jack mentions some negative comments Delaney received regarding his last column about coyotes. Delaney thinks that his readers had not understood his point, that he had not been arguing for population control but rather opening the issue up for discussion while making it clear that humans are at fault.

Talk turns to the wall, and Kyra appears, insisting everyone feels safer since its completion. She is enjoying herself, allowing herself to forget about work for the first time in months. Delaney has a second beer and starts to worry that he won’t be able to serve dinner on time. Then, however, chaos erupts as the sirens go off, and someone shouts that there is a fire in the canyon.

Delaney does not panic, but he and Kyra quickly head home to Jordan “just in case.