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asked.
    “I was thinking Legs and Boo, but I’m up for suggestions,” I said.
    “I like Legs and Boo,” she said. “They are too cute and totally you.”
    “Thanks,” I said. “One of the books I checked out of the library said these will help to ward off harmful spirits. There used to be a tradition of carrying them on Samhain.”
    “Really?” she asked. “That’s awesome.”
    “Yeah, even wearing masks and costumes for Halloween comes from the belief it confuses the evil spirits that come out Samhain night,” I said. “Reading all of that old lore made me wonder if there were more people like me back then. People who were, you know, sensitive to spirits.”
    “Was there anything in that book about giving out candy?” she asked.
    “Not candy exactly, but they did used to have these huge feasts,” I answered. “Samhain was a festival of the harvest and of the dead. Oh, and there was something called guising where kids would go door to door wearing costumes and masks and carrying their lanterns. People would give them apples and nuts and sometimes coins, but I didn’t read anything about candy. Why?”
    “I knew it,” Emma said smugly. “It’s all a modern day conspiracy brought on by the candy corporations. I wanted to give out healthy snacks for Halloween, but do you know how difficult that is? There was this whole mass media freak out over razor blades in apples, so now if you give out fruit people think you’re crazy.”
    “So what are you going to do?” I asked.
    “I’m giving out those little boxes of raisins,” she said. “They’re individually packaged and sealed so there’s no way I put razor blades in them.”
    “So you’re giving out zombie grapes,” I said.
    “Yeah,” Emma said.
    “Cool,” I said, forcing a smile. “I wish I could stay home on Halloween and give out zombie grapes.”
    “Oh hun, that was totally insensitive,” Emma said. “I was forgetting about how stressful this really is. Don’t forget I’m there for you. I’ll even give up my plot against candy corporations and spend the night with you instead. We’ll figure something out.”
    “Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?” I asked, getting teary. “Crap, my mascara is getting all smudgy.” I tried to blink my eyes rapidly to dry my lashes.
    “It just adds to the look,” Emma said with a wink. “Very dramatic.”
    “Thanks,” I said.
    “Don’t look now, but your boyfriend is on his way over here,” she said.
    “Why shouldn’t I look?” I asked.
    “Because his tray is loaded with nearly every species in the animal kingdom,” she said with exaggerated disgust.
    Emma was a hardcore vegan, but she knew Calvin was a werewolf and therefore a meat eater. She had confessed to me she had actually come to accept that Cal’s carnivore tendencies were part of the natural order of things, but she still liked to give him a hard time. Emma loved a good argument.
    I could tell Cal was stressed before I even saw him approach. The smell of wet dog was a dead giveaway. No wonder his tray was piled with meat. Cal worked hard to maintain self control, but under duress his wolf spirit came closer to the surface.
    “Everything okay?” I asked.
    Cal set his tray on the table and ran his hands through his shaggy hair. He took a deep breath, in and out, before sitting down beside me. I could tell he was trying to compose himself before speaking. Not good.
    I sat quietly stirring my yogurt, feeling my good mood slip into the whirlpool within. Calvin was always easygoing. Something major must have happened for him to look this rattled. Even Emma knew when to leave well enough alone. The silence was oppressive and the smell of burning brownies was suddenly suffocating.
    “Has there been another murder?” I asked.
    Cal let out a sigh and looked at me with haunted eyes. “We don’t know yet, but I’m worried,” he answered. “One of our pack members is missing. His sister called me since we left word