“A Jenny Greenteeth. Only Jen didn’t like sharing a name with it, so we called it Meg Mucklebones, which, yes, is from a movie. . . . Gah! It’s a marsh hag, Cody. They drown and eat children. Are you coming or not?”

“I’ll be there.” He hung up.

I was leaving a note in the kitchen when Lurine drifted out wearing a sheer, lacy nightgown and robe straight out of a Victoria’s Secret fantasy, only probably ten times as expensive. “What’s up, cupcake?” she asked in a sleepy, sultry voice. Honestly, I don’t think she was even trying for sultry; it was just her default mode. “I heard you talking to someone.”

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Hel’s liaison is on call. Got a possible eldritch emergency.”

Her gaze cleared and sharpened. “Do you need help?”

I shook my head. “Cody’s on his way to meet me.”

“Oh, good.” Yawning, Lurine stretched languorously. “Then I’m going back to bed.” She smiled at me. “I had a goood swim last night.”

Okay, that time she was trying. I suppressed a faint shiver. “All right, I’ll talk to you later. Thanks again.”

“Anytime.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

Twenty-seven

The sun was only just clearing the horizon when I left Lurine’s place, the sky a pale eggshell-blue. It was a still, quiet morning. Below the bluff, Lake Michigan was calm and glassy, its waters unusually translucent.

It would have been lovely if I weren’t hungover, my head throbbing and my stomach roiling. Undercover work was definitely not my strong suit.

The Cassopolises’ house was on the outskirts of East Pemkowet, verging on a tract of undeveloped wetlands. Given Mr. Cassopolis’s temper, I had to admit I was glad to see Cody’s pickup truck already in the driveway. A patrol car would have been even more reassuring, but he was off duty.

Inside the house, it was uncomfortably obvious that it was a scene of domestic violence. Jen’s father was glowering, barely managing to keep his temper under wraps in the presence of a police officer. Her mother sported a bruised lump on the side of her jaw.

She wouldn’t press charges, though. She never did. She’d probably already told Cody she fell and hit her chin on the table.

Jen met my gaze ruefully, confirming my suspicion. “Thanks for coming, Daise.”

“Of course.” I gave her a quick hug, whispering in her ear, “Do you have something of Brandon’s? Cody’s going to need it to track his scent.”

She nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

While Jen left to fetch an item of her brother’s, Cody turned to me. His expression was studiedly neutral, and I couldn’t tell how angry he was. “Got something for you, partner.” He handed me a sturdy, finely worked belt with a metal-trimmed scabbard hanging from it. “Try that on for size.”