"Nah, it's all right," Heiji said, laughing. "I got a pretty good relationship with the cops. They know they gotta get along with us if they want a taste of the old lady's cooking." Which apparently was a pretty strong motivator, though not the only personal connection he had with local law enforcement.

He gave Hawk a look like maybe the guy'd grown two heads all of a sudden. "Okay, I admit this situation's a little weird, but you been watching too much sci-fi or somethin'? I never heard of Ingary, either."