He doesn't answer for a long time and I think he either didn't hear me or doesn't want to. Then he says, "No."

"Seems odd that you have a desert wren in your possession at the same time as you captured another and forced her into a cage."

He stiffens against my back and I worry that I've offended him. Still, I'm not one to let uncomfortable truths die.

"Coincidence." The tone of his voice is a warning that I shouldn't push anymore.

Of course, I push. I ...