Interlude at O'Grady's

Chapter 4 of Trickster God

Interlude at O'Grady's

  Kat's email to Lord Faolan led to a flurry of emails traveling over Wi-Fi and whatever other esoteric devices electronically connected Earthside to Faerie. The upstart of it all was that the next evening, just past sunset, Kat and Sophi sat at their favorite table in a dim corner of O'Grady's Bar and Grill, Kat nursing a nut brown ale while Sophi sipped a mug of foamy Guinness.

  The pub owner and sometimes bartender, Tim O'Grady, was behind the bar joking with some of his regulars. Live entertainment didn't start till 8:00 so canned Irish music was being broadcast over the sound system.

  The front door opened, letting in a chilly October breeze and four strikingly attractive people. All four were wore dressy casual: dress jeans tucked into boots, shirts and blouse mostly hidden by warm high end sweaters with a crossed spears design knit into them. All four wore their hair long, the men's locks pulled back into pony tails and the red-headed woman's tresses flowing over shoulder and back.

  As the newcomers wound their way through the already crowded pub towards Kat and Sophi's table several things happened at once. All eyes in the pub were on the tall beautiful newcomers. Tim O'Grady glared at the fair-haired man then noticed the fiery-haired man walking beside him and reconsidered his ire. Faerie-sighted O'Grady knew serious power when he saw it.

  “Bridget. Get those folks anything they want,” he said to the perky dark-haired waitress who had been waiting on Kat and Sophi.

  “Yes, Sir,” she said, but he didn't need to tell Bridget that. She was looking at the red-haired man with something like adoration on her face.

  Kat stood up, locking eyes with the ebony dark man, cornrowed hair pulled into a cascade of long braids, not himself a short man though dwarfed by the 6 ½ foot height of the two men he was with. They looked at each other with a gaze that could only be described as hungry. The woman, who was holding hands with the fair-haired man, looked at the two Afro-Americans and smiled.

  When they reached the table Sophi also stood up, almost bowed then recollected where she was and inclined her head instead.

  “Tiarnas, Sir Ailein, Lady Rua, Sir Leroy, welcome to O'Grady's.”

  The Lord of the Northlands of Faerie nodded towards Sophi but his eyes turned to Kat, whose hands were holding those of his husky silversmith.

  “So, Officer Jones, you have succeeded in persuading me to come to you rather than the other way around.”

  His dark eyes flashed for a moment, though Kat could not see it. It was seldom that Lord Faolan thus gave in to the preferences of one he considered a retainer.

  “Yes Sir. I appreciate the effort you have made for this meeting,” Kat said carefully with a respectful inclination of her own head.

  The four arrivals sat down at the round table just as Bridget arrived to take their orders. Three of them ordered wine but the lord preferred Jameson, neat. As the waitress took the orders she kept giving Lord Faolan covert glances. He noticed her glances and smiled back which resulted in an attractive blush.

  'To her he must seem but an attractive man in his twenties,' Sophi thought.

  “Did you know there are people going to and from that park down by the river wearing rainbows?” Lord Faolan said as the waitress left.

  Sophi laughed.

  “There is a Gay Pride celebration going on in the park today �" started at noon, will go on till 11:00. My friend Annie is probably there now.”

  “That would be the witch, Annie Flowers,” the lord replied.

  “How do you know about Annie?” Kat demanded.

  “Easy, Officer Jones. I make it my prerogative to know everything I can about those I do business with, and I seem to be connecting with you two on a regular basis.”

  Unspoken but understood by the human women was the fact that he still wanted Kat to come to Taigh Dubh and train his hounds to do the stuff Angus could do.

  Lord Faolan then turned toward his new computer expert, Sir Ailein.

  “We could use some Faerie sound-proofing now. We have serious matters to discuss.”

  Sir Ailein nodded and softly spoke a spell in Eldritch. Sophi, Tim O'Grady, and the three Sidhe could see the dome of light that sprang up over their table, wide enough to insure the cute waitress could take their orders.

  “So, Sir Ailein, explain to these ladies what we have discovered.”

  The Lady Rua fetched some computer print-outs from her generous purse and handed them to her intended, but it was Sir Ailein who spoke.

  “I've traced the embezzled funds to a server that moves about in the Nine Worlds. The site is registered in Loki's name.”

  “My own sire is stealing from me!” Lord Faolan said with an angry glow in his eyes.

  Just then the waitress returned balancing a tray with their drink orders, refills for Kat and Sophi, and menus. As she approached the table to set down the drinks, standing near the chair where the lord sat, she fumbled and the tray started to tip. Lord Faolan's swift action, catching the tray and righting it before anything could spill, saved the day. As he did so his long-fingered hand covered little Bridget's. He let it linger there a moment. Bridget blushed, whether from embarrassment at the near accident or because of Lord Faolan's touch was not certain.

  “Thank you, Sir. You saved my life.”

  “Now I truly doubt Mr. O'Grady would kill you for spilling his liqueur Miss, ah, Bridget.”

  Her name he'd obtained from the name tag she wore pinned over the shamrock that adorned the shirts the waiters and waitresses all wore.

  “Yes, Sir. It is Bridget,” she said as she now distributed both drinks and menus. “I'll be back to take your orders in a while.”

  “Looking forward to it,” the lord said looking steadily into her brown eyes.

  His gaze led to another blush but she recovered to respond with a coquettish smile then left to wait on a nearby table.

  “Isn't she a bit too young for you?” Sophi said.

  “Doctor Sophi, technically speaking all human women are too young for me. And she is hardly under-aged or she wouldn't be working in this place.”

  Sophi knew the use of her title as a Veterinarian was in fact to remind her that it was not her place to criticize his romantic concerns.

  “Let's get back to the subject at hand,” Kat said.

  She was looking directly at the lord.

  “Sir, I had an encounter with your father yesterday. He gave me a message for you.”

  All eyes were on Kat. She related in detail her experiences with an impudent biracial child who turned out to be Loki in disguise. She ended with his protest of innocence.

  Lord Faolan leaned back in his chair, a pensive expression on his face.

  “So the computer trail says my father, a chronic liar and thief but one who has never before attacked me, is guilty. But he claims he is being framed. What is your impression, Officer Jones?”

  “For some reason I think I believe him. I know he is the Trickster and very good at lying. But his anger over being framed seemed real.”

  “Those who did the actual stealing framed me, my father, and your financial manager,” Lady Rua reminded him.

  “So they did. So I am back to square one. Did my own father steal from my investments or is he being framed? And who is clever enough, who is brave enough, to thus play a nasty trick on the most infamous of Tricksters?”

  The waitress returned to take their orders. Since Faeries were involved the orders were quite large, a grand feast one might say.

  “Are you sure you guys can eat all that,” Bridget said after she'd written it all down.

  “Don't worry, Miss Bridget, we can. And Officer Jones, do not worry about the bill. This one is on me.”

  Kat's face registered relief at those words.

  “So, Miss Bridget, when do you get off work? And do you have plans?”

  A smile crossed the waitress's face.

  “Eleven PM. And no plans, yet.”

  “Would you consider making some plans with me?”

  The smile got bigger.

  “Yes, Sir, I would consider it.”

  “So, folks, what do we do until 11 PM besides eat and drink,” he asked the others after she had returned to the bar to turn in their order. “And, Sir Ailein, just how difficult would it be to secure lodging for the night in this town?”

  “Not difficult at all. There's an app for it. And my memory says the Harold Hotel in downtown Clearwater is very nice and will serve us well.”

  “Should. It's the most expensive hotel in the city,” Kat said.

  “So order a suite if one is available. And accommodations for yourselves as well.”

  “Ah … you don't need to order a room for Sir Leroy. He's going home with me tonight, right after we eat. Angus will need a walk by then and he and I have things to discuss.”

  Leroy looked at the woman he loved with pleased surprise on his face.

  “That sounds great to me.”

  While Ailein pulled out a cell phone and started booking the required rooms, Sophi answered the other part of his question.

  “Tonight is 'open mike' night at O'Grady's. Anyone who wishes can get up and sing or play. Kind of like at Sir Ailein and Lady Rua's betrothal.”

  “Splendid. Splendid. So what do you say, my friends, to a night of wine, food, and song? We won’t solve the riddle of my missing funds this evening anyway so may as well enjoy ourselves. I may even get up and sing a ditty or two myself.”

  “I'll pass on the singing,” Ailein said. “After the last time I sang here O'Grady has been less than keen for a repeat performance.”

  “Sounds good,” Sophi said. “Though I might wish I wasn't the only one going home alone tonight.”