1 - Fairy Dust - Powers of Detection (October 2004).pdf - Książki - Akshuurg

Fairy Dust

CHARLAINE HARRIS

I hate it when fairies come into the bar. They donÓt tip you worth a

tootÏnot because theyÓre stingy, but because they just forget. Take

Claudine, the fairy who was walking in the door. Six feet tall, long

black hair, gorgeous; Claudine seemed to have no shortage of cash

or clothing (and she entranced men the way a watermelon draws

flies). But Claudine hardly ever remembered to leave you even a

dollar. And if itÓs lunchtime, you have to take the bowl of lemon

slices off the table. Fairies are allergic to lemons and limes, like

vamps are allergic to silver and garlic.

That spring night when Claudine came in I was in a bad mood

already. I was angry with my ex-boyfriend, Bill Compton, a.k.a.

Vampire Bill; my brother Jason had once again postponed helping

me shift an armoire; and IÓd gotten my property tax notice in the

mail.

So when Claudine sat at one of my tables, I stalked over to her

with no very happy feelings.

ÐNo vamps around?Ñ she asked straight away. ÐEven Bill?Ñ

Vamps like fairies the way dogs like bones: great toys, good

food. ÐNot tonight,Ñ I said. ÐBillÓs down in New Orleans. IÓm picking

up his mail for him.Ñ Just call me sucker.

Claudine relaxed. ÐDearest Sookie,Ñ she said.

ÐYou want what?Ñ

ÐOh, one of those nasty beers, I guess,Ñ she said, making a face.

Claudine didnÓt really like to drink, though she did like bars. Like

most fairies, she loved attention and admiration: My boss Sam said

that was a fairy characteristic.

I brought her the beer. ÐYou got a minute?Ñ she asked. I

frowned. Claudine didnÓt look as cheerful as usual.

ÐJust.Ñ The table by the door was hooting and hollering at me.

ÐI have a job for you.Ñ

Though it called for dealing with Claudine, whom I liked but

didnÓt trust, I was interested. I sure needed some cash. ÐWhat do

you need me to do?Ñ

ÐI need you to come listen to some humans.Ñ

ÐAre these humans willing?Ñ

Claudine gave me innocent eyes. ÐWhat do you mean, Precious?Ñ

I hated this song and dance. ÐDo they want to be, ah, listened

to?Ñ

ÐTheyÓre guests of my brother, Claude.Ñ

I hadnÓt known Claudine had a brother. I donÓt know much about

fairies; Claudine was the only one IÓd met. If she was typical, I

wasnÓt sure how the race had survived eradication. I wouldnÓt have

thought northern Louisiana was very hospitable toward beings of

the fairy persuasion, anyway. This part of the state is largely rural,

very Bible Belt. My small town of Bon Temps, barely big enough to

have its own Walmart, didnÓt even see a vampire for two years

after theyÓd announced their existence and their intention to live

peaceably amongst us. Maybe that delay was good, since local folks

had had a chance to get used to the idea by the time Bill showed

up.

But I had a feeling that this PC vamp tolerance would vanish if

my fellow townsfolk knew about Weres, and shifters, and fairies.

And who knows what all else.

ÐOkay, Claudine, when?Ñ The rowdy table was hooting, ÐCrazy

Sookie! Crazy Sookie!Ñ People only did that when theyÓd had too

much to drink. I was used to it, but it still hurt.

ÐWhen do you get off tonight?Ñ

We fixed it that Claudine would pick me up at my house fifteen

minutes after I got off work. She left without finishing her beer. Or

tipping.

My boss, Sam Merlotte, nodded a head toward the door sheÓd

just exited. ÐWhatÓd the fairy want?Ñ SamÓs a shifter, himself.

ÐShe needs me to do a job for her.Ñ

ÐWhere?Ñ

ÐWherever she lives, I guess. She has a brother, did you know?Ñ

ÐWant me to come with you?Ñ Sam is a friend, the kind of friend

you sometimes have fantasies about. X-rated.

ÐThanks, but I think I can handle Claudine.Ñ

ÐYou havenÓt met the brother.Ñ

ÐIÓll be okay.Ñ

IÓm used to being up at night, not only because IÓm a barmaid,

but also because I had dated Bill for a long time. When Claudine

picked me up at my old house in the woods, IÓd had time to change

from my MerlotteÓs outfit into some black jeans and a sage green

twin set (JC PenneyÓs on sale), since the night was chilly. IÓd let my

hair down from its ponytail.

ÐYou should wear blue instead of green,Ñ Claudine said, Ðto go

with your eyes.Ñ

ÐThanks for the fashion tip.Ñ

ÐYouÓre welcome.Ñ Claudine sounded happy to share her style

sense with me. But her smile, usually so radiant, seemed tinged

with sadness.

ÐWhat do you want me to find out from these people?Ñ I asked.

ÐWeÓll talk about it when we get there,Ñ she said, and after that

she wouldnÓt tell me anything else as we drove east. Ordinarily

Claudine babbles. I was beginning to feel it wasnÓt smart of me to

have accepted this job.

Claudine and her brother lived in a big ranch-style house in

suburban Monroe, a town that not only had a Walmart, but a whole

mall. She knocked on the front door in a pattern. After a minute,

the door opened. My eyes widened. Claudine hadnÓt mentioned that

her brother was her twin.

If Claude had put on his sisterÓs clothes, he could have passed

for her; it was eerie. His hair was shorter, but not by a lot; he had

it pulled back to the nape of his neck, but his ears were covered.

His shoulders were broader, but I couldnÓt see a trace of a beard,

even this late at night. Maybe male fairies donÓt have body hair?

Claude looked like a Calvin Klein underwear model; in fact, if the

designer had been there, heÓd have signed the twins on the spot,

and thereÓd have been drool all over the contract.

He stepped back to let us enter. ÐThis is the one?Ñ he said to

Claudine.

She nodded. ÐSookie, my brother Claude.Ñ

ÐA pleasure,Ñ I said. I extended my hand. With some surprise,

he took it and shook. He looked at his sister. ÐSheÓs a trusting one.Ñ

ÐHumans,Ñ Claudine said, and shrugged.

Claude led me through a very conventional living room, down a

paneled hall to the family room. A man was sitting in a chair,

because he had no choice. He was tied to it with what looked like

nylon cord. He was a small man, buff, blond, and brown-eyed. He

looked about my age, twenty-six.

ÐHey,Ñ I said, not liking the squeak in my voice, Ðwhy is that

man tied?Ñ

ÐOtherwise, heÓd run away,Ñ Claude said, surprised.

I covered my face with my hands for a second. ÐListen, you two,

I donÓt mind looking at this guy if heÓs done something wrong, or if

you want to eliminate him as a suspect in a crime committed

against you. But if you just want to find out if he really loves you,

or something silly like that. . . . WhatÓs your purpose?Ñ

ÐWe think he killed our triplet, Claudia.Ñ

I almost said, ÐThere were three of you?Ñ then realized that

wasnÓt the most important part of the sentence.

ÐYou think he murdered your sister.Ñ

Claudine and Claude nodded in unison. ÐTonight,Ñ Claude said.

ÐOkey-dokey,Ñ I muttered, and bent over the blond. ÐIÓm taking

the gag off.Ñ

They looked unhappy, but I slid the handkerchief down to his

neck. The young man said, ÐI didnÓt do it.Ñ

ÐGood. Do you know what I am?Ñ

ÐNo. YouÓre not a thing like them, are you?Ñ

I donÓt know what he thought Claude and Claudine were, what

little otherworldly attribute theyÓd sprung on him. I lifted my hair to

show him that my ears were round, not pointed, but he still looked

dissatisfied.

ÐNot a vamp?Ñ he asked.

Showed him my teeth. The canines only extend when vamps are

excited by blood, battle, or sex, but theyÓre noticeably sharp even

when theyÓre retracted. My canines are quite normal.

ÐIÓm just a regular human,Ñ I said. ÐWell, thatÓs not quite true. I

can read your thoughts.Ñ

He looked terrified.

ÐWhat are you scared for? If you didnÓt kill anybody, you have

nothing to fear.Ñ I made my voice warm, like butter melting on corn

on the cob.

ÐWhat will they do to me? What if you make a mistake and tell

them I did it, what are they gonna do?Ñ

Good question. I looked up at the two.

ÐWeÓll kill him and eat him,Ñ Claudine said, with a ravishing

smile. When the blond man looked from her to Claude, his eyes

wide with terror, she winked at me.

For all I knew, Claudine might be serious. I couldnÓt remember if

IÓd ever seen her eat or not. We were treading on dangerous

ground. I try to support my own race when I can. Or at least get

Óem out of situations alive.

I should have accepted SamÓs offer.

ÐIs this man the only suspect?Ñ I asked the twins. (Should I call

them twins? I wondered. It was more accurate to think of them as

two-thirds of triplets. Nah. Too complicated.)

ÐNo, we have another man in the kitchen,Ñ Claude said.

ÐAnd a woman in the pantry.Ñ

Under other circumstances, I wouldÓve smiled. ÐWhy are you

sure Claudia is dead?Ñ

ÐShe came to us in spirit form and told us so.Ñ Claude looked

surprised. ÐThis is a death ritual for our race.Ñ

I sat back on my heels, trying to think of intelligent questions.

ÐWhen this happens, does the spirit let you know any of the

circumstances of the death?Ñ

ÐNo,Ñ Claudine said, shaking her head so her long black hair

switched. ÐItÓs more like a final farewell.Ñ

ÐHave you found the body?Ñ

They looked disgusted. ÐWe fade,Ñ Claude explained, in a

haughty way.

So much for examining the corpse.

ÐCan you tell me where Claudia was when she, ah, faded?Ñ I

asked. ÐThe more I know, the better questions I can ask.Ñ Mind

reading is not so simple. Asking the right questions is the key to

eliciting the correct thought. The mouth can say anything. The head

never lies. But if you donÓt ask the right question, the right thought

wonÓt pop up.

ÐClaudia and Claude are exotic dancers at Hooligans,Ñ Claudine

said proudly, as if she was announcing they were on an Olympic

team.

IÓd never met strippers before, male or female. I found myself

more than a little interested in seeing Claude strip, but I made

myself focus on the deceased Claudia.

ÐSo, Claudia worked last night?Ñ

ÐShe was scheduled to take the money at the door. It was ladiesÓ

night at Hooligans.Ñ

ÐOh. Okay. So you were, ah, performing,Ñ I said to Claude.

ÐYes. We do two shows on ladiesÓ night. I was the Pirate.Ñ

I tried to suppress that mental image.

ÐAnd this man?Ñ I tilted my head toward the blond, who was

being very good about not pleading and begging.

ÐIÓm a stripper, too,Ñ he said. ÐI was the Cop.Ñ

Okay. Just stuff that imagination in a box and sit on it.

ÐYour name is?Ñ

ÐBarry Barber is my stage name. My real name is Ben Simpson.Ñ

ÐBarry Barber?Ñ I was puzzled.

ÐI like to shave people.Ñ

I had a blank moment, then felt a red flush creep across my

cheeks as I realized he didnÓt mean whiskery cheeks. Well, not

facial cheeks. ÐAnd the other two people are?Ñ I asked the twins.

ÐThe woman in the pantry is Rita Child. She owns Hooligans,Ñ

Claudine said. ÐAnd the man in the kitchen is Jeff Puckett. HeÓs the

bouncer.Ñ

ÐWhy did you pick these three out of all the employees at

Hooligans?Ñ

ÐBecause they had arguments with Claudia. She was a dynamic

woman,Ñ Claude said seriously.

ÐDynamic my ass,Ñ said Barry the Barber, proving that tact isnÓt

a prerequisite for a stripping job. ÐThat woman was hell on wheels.Ñ

1 - Fairy Dust - Powers of Detection (October 2004).pdf

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