Far up, on the rooftops of an apartment building, a murder of crows caws and coos, fighting over a piece of bread. Their voices, hoarse and grating, send a shiver down her back. She looks up, and the wind brushes her skin with cold fingers. Offended, she hides her face, pulling down on the hood of her jacket. The fur lining the hood tickles her eyes. She scratches the tingle with an absent hand and hurries  to catch the bus.

The inside of the bus is crowded, but even the smell of the sweaty swarm of afternoon commuters can’t expunge the scent of pine and fog from the air around her. She sighs, moves to the back, and with her arm hooked around one of the standing poles, searches the inside of her bag.

In the enveloping darkness, her fingers explore the contents of the purse until the...

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