At that inopportune moment, my phone rang. I glanced at it. “I’ve got to take this; sorry.”

It was Patty Rogan calling from the station. “Cody’s bringing in a witness,” she said. “The chief wants you here in twenty. Okay?”

“I’ll be there.” I ended the call. “Sorry,” I said with genuine regret. “I’d love to; I really would. But I’m sort of on duty and we’re in crisis mode. Rain check?”

“Sure.” Sinclair frowned. “Who do you work for, exactly? I’m sorry; I’m a little confused.”

“I’m Hel’s liaison.” I patted dauda-dagr’s hilt. “That’s Hel the Norse goddess of the dead,” I clarified, seeing a look of alarm begin to dawn on his face. “Not the infernal realm, okay? But in terms of drawing a paycheck, I actually work for the Pemkowet Police Department.”

His expression turned to bemusement. “As what?”

“Mostly a part-time file clerk,” I said. “But lately a full-time investigator. Let me see what I can do, and I’ll call you.”

“Okay.”

After we exchanged numbers we parted ways, me in my Honda and Sinclair Palmer on a bicycle, pedaling industriously. Nice legs, too.

Gah! Everything was moving too fast, and there was too much to be done. I wished I could slow down time for a few days, or at least take a day for myself. I could use some quality mother-daughter time. I desperately yearned for an intensive session of good old-fashioned girl talk with Jen. I needed to sort through my feelings about Cody. I actually liked the working partnership and mutual respect that we were developing. Did I still want it to be more, or was it just my long-standing crush at work?

I’d let Stefan taste me, for crying out loud, and now he was attuned to me, and I didn’t know how I felt about it. Okay, on a primal girlie level, there was something flattering about having him turn up like some magical fairy-tale protector, but I hadn’t known that was what I was signing up for. Had he tricked me? Had I agreed to it on a subconscious level?

I didn’t know.

Now I’d met a mostly normal human guy with whom I felt a few sparks, and I didn’t know what to do about that, either. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d gone on a date, and I was getting way ahead of myself just thinking about it. I didn’t even know whether he was single, let alone interested.

I drove around town, looking for a parking space. “Focus, Daisy,” I murmured to myself. “It’s not about you.”

It helped.

If I was right, if Mom’s reading held true, there was an eldritch creature being held hostage out there somewhere, not so very far away. La Sirena. And I had a good idea that she was suffering pretty badly.