Free Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton Page B

them had been described to me as an uncircumcised wannabe with long blond hair named Donald.It would be a huge coincidence, but I’d seen bigger coincidences in real life. Was stealing magic slowly over months that much of a step up to stealing the demi-fey’s magic all at once? It was only magic that kept the smallest of us alive outside of faerie.
    Something must have shown on my face, because Gilda asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?”
    “Do you know an elf wannabe named Donald?”
    “I would never consort with the false elves. They are an abomination.”
    I thought her choice of words was interesting. “Do you have a sidhe lover?”
    “That is none of your business.”
    I studied her offended face. Would she not know the difference between a really well-done wannabe and the real thing? I doubted that she’d ever been with a true sidhe of the courts, and if you’ve never had the real thing you might have trouble spotting a fake.
    I smiled, and said, “Hold that thought.” I started for the door behind her. Doyle and Frost followed like shadows. Lucy called after me, “Merry, where are you going?”
    “Need to check something in the café,” I called back but kept moving. The room was thick with people, police of different flavors, and the court retinue that followed Gilda everywhere, but that the police hadn’t allowed into the back room. They were a pretty lot, almost as shiny and spectacular as their mistress. There were still customers at the tables, a mix of human and fey. Some had stayed to have tea and cakes, but others were just there to gawk.
    I pushed my way through the crowd, until Doyle moved a little forward of me and people just seemed to move out of his way. When he wanted to he could be very intimidating. I’d seen men step out of his way without even knowing why they’d done so. But when Doyle got me through the crowd, the table that had held the blond wannabe was empty.

CHAPTER TEN
    I WENT TO ALICE, WHO WAS BEHIND THE COUNTER, AND ASKED , “The man with long blond hair, ear implants, and muscles at that table—when did he leave?”
    “He left with most of the customers when the police came in,” she said, and her gaze was serious and intelligent.
    “Do you know his name?”
    “Donal,” she said.
    “Donald?” I made it a question.
    She shook her head. “No, he’s very insistent about it being Donal, not after that stupid duck. His quote, not mine. I love classic Disney.”
    The comment made me smile, but I let it go, and asked the next question. “Is he a regular?”
    She nodded, making her black pigtails bounce. “Yep, he comes in at least once a week, sometimes twice.”
    “What’s he like?”
    She narrowed her eyes and gave me a look. “Why do you want to know?”
    “Humor me,” I said.
    “Well, he’s one of those men who are rude until he wants to charm a woman; then he’s sweet.”
    “Has he hit on you?”
    “Nope, I’m too human. He only dates fey. He’s very insistent on that.”
    “Is he fond of any particular kind of fey?”
    Again, she gave me that look. “Just as full-blooded as he can get them. He’s dated a lot of different fey.”
    “Can you give me some names?”
    Lucy’s voice came from behind me, “And why do you want the names, Merry?”
    Frost and Doyle parted so I could see the detective. She was giving me a look that made Alice’s suspicious look pale in comparison, but then Lucy was a cop. They give great suspicious looks.
    She spoke more quietly. “What’s up, Merry? What do you think you’ve figured out?”
    The attempted rape and the perpetrator’s death were public record, so I told her my suspicions.
    “Do you really think this Donal is the Donald that the client told you about?” she asked.
    “I’d love to get a picture of him and see if they could pick him out. It would be easy to hear Donal and just put the ‘d’ on the end to make it a more familiar name, especially if you were