He sighed. “Good question, but it’s going to have to wait, along with the Masters of the Universe. Once we get some more leverage, we can try questioning the boys again. Right now, I’ve got to concentrate on tracking down Ray D—and speaking of uncooperative, you’re still on naiad duty. What’s your plan for getting them to talk?”

“Oh . . .” I temporized. “I have a friend who has some influence with them.”

Cody glanced at me again. “What kind of friend?”

“Oh, no.” I shook my head. “If you don’t know, I’m not telling, Officer Down-low.”

“He’s in the closet?”

“Not exactly, not in the eldritch community.” I pointed at him. “But you are, or at least your clan does its best to stay there. And my, um, friend has a better reason than most to be discreet. You can’t expect to receive a trust you don’t extend to others.”

“Fair enough.” He gave a slight nod. “For what it’s worth, I trust you.”

“You do?” That surprised me, too. A lot.

“Yeah.” Cody pulled into the alley alongside the bakery. “At least, I’m starting to. Call me later; we’ll touch base.” His gaze drifted toward the dented Dumpster. “And think about what I said about staying somewhere else for a few nights.”

“I’ll think about it.”

His gaze hardened, green flashing behind the topaz. “If it happens again, if you hear anything suspicious, call me immediately, okay?”

Sunlight was glinting on the bronze stubble on his jaw in a distracting manner. I fought the urge to touch it, reminding myself that Jen wasn’t speaking to me for this very reason. Okay, fine, I actually sat on my hands. “I will.”

Leaning across me, Cody opened the squad car passenger door. “Good.”

I dashed upstairs to the apartment to put on fresh lipstick and run a brush through my hair. Lurine Hollister isn’t judgmental like the lesser water elementals, but trust me when I say she’s not someone you want to encounter while looking distinctly subpar. It has to do with preservation of the ego. Even for me, and Lurine had known me since I was barely out of training pants.

After filling Mogwai’s bowl, I trotted back downstairs and fired up my mostly trusty Honda Civic again, heading for the lakeshore.