Page 54 of Kin of the Wolf

“Duncan Calderwood.”

“Here you go.” The delivery woman handed the package to him and headed back to her vehicle.

A piece of equipment in Duncan’s van beeped a few times. She glanced back, then shifted from a walk to a jog.

“The apartment complex may be getting a reputation,” I said sadly. “For quirk.”

Or was it possible the delivery lady was on edge for another reason?

“That happens when you have atypical tenants.” Box in one hand, Duncan waved toward the ghost hunters setting up their equipment.

“Yeah,they’rethe atypical ones.”

He nodded and turned the box over, inspecting it from all sides.

“I don’t suppose this is a gift of dark chocolate from you?” he said.

“I don’t make enough money to afford a box of chocolate that large. Not of the superior quality brands that I like.”

“I trust you wouldn’t send me inferior quality.”

“I wouldn’t, no. If I wanted to insult you, I’d find other ways.”

“Like using my sweaters for cleaning.”

“That’s just being practical. Dead werewolves don’t need cashmere.”

“Hm.” Duncan pulled off the tape and opened the box. “Are yousureyou didn’t send this?”

I peered inside where a list of the contents rested among packing material nestled around a clear container of…

“Are those chocolates?” My nose caught the scent even before my eyes. Chocolates with…bacon?

Duncan picked up the handwritten list, a chocolatier’s header on top, and read the listed contents aloud. “Chocolate-dipped bacon dusted with chopped pecans and flakes of sea salt.”

I stared in surprise. I had a similar recipe, and we’d discussed such treats before.

“I didn’t send them.” I looked in the direction the delivery lady had gone, but she’d already driven out of the parking lot.

“I believe you, of course, but I can’t imagine who else would have done so.”

“I know. We were alone in my apartment when we talked about chocolate-dipped bacon, weren’t we? It’s not like someone would have overheard us. Even if they had, who else would have wanted to send you a gift?”

“I do have some sex appeal and have received unsolicited gifts from women in the past.”

“Yeah, but you’re fifty now. That can’t happenthatoften.”

“Really.”

“Besides, who besides me would send you bacon and chocolate? That’s…”

“Quirky?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Delicious. But specific.” I took the paper from him and turned it over to read the ingredients.

Duncan lowered his nose to the box. “They smell fantastic.Very fresh. After running through the night and day, I admit to being hungry.”

“I wouldn’t eat them.”

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