The White Shadow 1: The Dancer

Chapter 13

The hall was long, wide and tall, with mirrors along one wall, and a large window spanning the opposite side. Within this hall was Nia, wearing only a black blouse, red trousers and a black fedora with a red bow. She carried an old fashioned music box and placed it on the floor, crouching down before pushing one of the buttons to switch it on. She selected a particular song, and rose back to full height as the drums opened the song with the beat. As the rhythm began to intensify, Nia began to sway upon her toes, swinging lightly to the rhythm, her eyes closed. As the bass began to play, she let the music wash over her, and she slowly began to embrace the sound, circling around in the large hall. As the melody kicked in, she began to dance, throwing her arms to her side as she kicked to the rhythm, a smile growing up on her lips. She spun her arms in a circle, buckling her knees, and moving across the room, a shadow before the rising sun outside the window, in an unorthodox swing style pirouette. She crossed her legs over a few times, as the music began to crescendo, placing a hand upon her hat to keep it in place. She then removed it and threw it into the air as the music reached its climax, trumpets and saxophones blaring a beautiful symphony as the swing woman danced, framed by the sun in such beautiful fashion, her legs like water in how they weaved about one another, her arms fluttering by her sides...
And the the end came, and Nia was left on her own, poised like a swan before the setting sun. She saw her fedora upon the floor beside her, and she sat cross legged upon the floor to take it in her hands. She turned the object in her hands, observing the tough and molded velcro that made up the shell of the hat, and the delicate satin cloth on the inside. At that moment, Flores entered through a door to Nia's left, carrying several papers. He wore a waistcoat and was unarmed, even lacking a hat, leaving his slicked back smokey hairdo naked. As Nia turned to face him, he froze, and stood to full attention. "Ma'am, I have some bad news."
Nia climbed back onto both feet and tried to smile reassuringly, "Please, Flores, call me Nia. " And then she let her face fall, "It's to do with Darryll, isn't it."
Flores bowed his head in shame, and replied, dejected, "Unfortunately so. Not only have we lost all clues as to where he is, we've lost three good men in the process. Although they were all without relatives, our family would like to give them all funerals."
Nia nodded, "Tell everyone that it will be arranged. I trust that you can fit this into my schedule?"
Flores took the papers in his hands to his eyes, "If you'll look here, I have totalled all the funeral expenses for all three men," he flipped the paper over so that Nia could take a look, and she gasped, "Cristo Schát, thats a lot." And then at Flores's shocked expression, she corrected herself, "I will look more closely at these later. Right now I'm more interested in Darryll. What happened to him specifically?"
Flores groaned, "That's trickier to figure out. He used some sort of incredibly powerful explosive to detonate his entire house in one go, and unless we contact a specialist in chemistry and Physics, we will not know how he did so."
Nia tried to smile this bad news off, but was instead left with an intense emptiness that slowly began to fill with a boiling frustration that bubbled into a seething hatred. She screamed and slammed her foot into the floor fast and hard, sending splinters up underneath her boot. Flores leaped back in a defensive reflex, both hands in front of him in a sign of surrender. Nia wrenched her sole out of the hole in the floor, taking wood with it. She cooled herself as best as she could, and asked, "Have we asked Song if we can use his records of pharmaceutical sales? Darryll may have stolen chemicals from there."
"I asked," Flores replied cautiously, keeping his tongue in total control, "and Song told me, rather aggressively, that Darryll avoids his businesses."
"I see," Nia stroked her chin in thought. Eventually, she just shrugged, and recreated a smile. "Just keep at it, make finding Darryll a priority hire whoever you need to, budget be damned."
Flores gave a quick nodded, and began to pick his papers up off the floor, a little hastily. Above, Nia remembered something. "Oh, and quickly, I have something to ask."
Flores grabbed the last of his papers and stood up straight. "Yes?"
"What about Diane, have you done as I've requested?"
"Yes," Flore responded, and I have arranged a room tailored specifically to her tastes, which was difficult because she answered "neutral" on every question of my form. But I made some assumptions, given what I know, despite having not met her, and I've arranged a room the should meet her generous standards."
Nia cocked her head, "You haven't actually met her yet?"
Flores felt some sweat materialise upon his neck, "N-No Ma'am- I mean Nia..."
"Relax," Nia chuckled, "I'm not going to kill you. You should talk with Diane sometime. I feel like you could be good friends."
"Understood," Flores responded, despite having no interest in ever meeting that killing machine in person.
"Thank you Flores, that will be all," Nia finished, "You did well. I couldn't ask for a better assistant."
Flores nodded politely and began to ceap away. But just as he turned again, Nia called once more, "Oh, one more thing."
Flores turned and returned to attention, "Yes Ma'- I mean Nia?"
"Please don't tell anyone about that outburst." Then she gestured to the hole in the floor, "and maybe fix this discretely? With some DIY?"
The man paused, and then responded simply. "I won't tell anyone," he reassured, since I understand that you are under financial and political stress. And I will fix the floor quietly, don't worry. Enjoy your day Ma'am- I mean, Nia"