Page 68 of Way of the Wolf

“Okay.” The last couple of days, I’d been so distracted that I’d half-forgotten about that issue. I did know the plumber had repaired the pipes and we’d had fans on in there to dry out the interior before putting the drywall back up.

“His apartment looks and smells so good now that you couldraise the rent.” Bolin led me down the walkway toward the next building.

“As long as it’s not moldy, and pipes aren’t leaking, I’ll be delighted.”

“You’ll bemorethan delighted.” He walked faster, his back straight.

Was he proud? The kid who’d oozed resentment and superiority when he’d arrived and had made it clear he didn’t want to be here?

When he unlocked the door and pushed it open, no hint of must wafted out of the apartment. Instead, the air smelled clean and faintly forest-like. I assumed the tenant had plugged an air freshener into an outlet, but when we walked inside, my senses pinged, picking up a faint hint of magic. A fern in a pot that hadn’t been there before seemed to be the source.

“I trust you put that there, not the tenant.” I pointed at it.

Bolin blinked in surprise. “How did you know?”

“It’s oozing druidness.”

“I enhanced it to clean the air even more than it naturally would. Of course, that isn’t necessary because of the enchantment I found for in here.” With a flourish of his arm, Bolin led me into the bathroom.

The repair work was done, fresh drywall and paint in place over the fixed pipes. The air also smelled clean in there, and I detected another slight hint of magic. It came from the walls—the paint?

“I applied the anti-mold paint you mentioned you kept in the maintenance shed, and I used it for a medium for my enchantment. It’s extraextraanti-fungi now.”

“All fungi? Not just mold?”

“Yeah, that’s what the enchantment was for. I assumed we wouldn’t want toadstools sprouting up in people’s apartments either.”

“No, and nobody needs to start a ’shroom grow lab in their bathroom either.”

Bolin blinked. “Has that… happened?”

“Six times in the years I’ve worked here. It’susuallymarijuana, but one couple was doing mushrooms. I saw the delivery of wood chips and inoculation logs, or whatever they’re called, and caught them.”

“Huh.”

“All right, thanks for taking care of all this.” I clapped Bolin on the shoulder as we headed out.

“You’ll tell my parents that I’m doing good work? Without, uhm… If you don’t mention the druid oozing, that would be ideal. Especially if my mom is around.”

“I wouldn’t dream of mentioning it to anyone.”

“Really?” Bolin squinted at me, as if he couldn’t believe someone would keep his secrets for him.

“Really.”

“Good. Thanks.”

As I headed for my apartment to comb the rest of the forest out of my hair, shower, and put on fresh clothes, I decided having an intern might not be bad after all. Oh, I didn’t expect Bolin would stay long—his parents would eventually give him the dream job they’d promised him—but maybe I could get him to mold-proof the rest of the units before he left.

When I unlocked my door and stepped into my living room, I sensed right away that someone had been there while I’d been gone.He’dbeen there. Duncan’s scent lingered in the air.

I scowled at the door lock, as if it had betrayed me. The windows were securely closed, and I knew I hadn’t left the door open. How had he gotten in?

“Bastard probably has amagnetthat turns locks.”

I stalked around the apartment, searching for anything that had been disturbed, though it wasn’t as if there was much in thereworth stealing. Just the wolf case. And he or someone else had alreadygottenthat.

A small gift bag and an envelope on the table caught my eye. I squinted suspiciously at them. Duncan hadn’t left me some hokey tchotchke in the hope that I would forgive him, had he? As if I could forgive him for working for Chad.

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