Dead Ringers

Sly Q and A

I stare at my reflection in the mirror. Why did I have a sudden feeling that this was a bad plan?

Mushu yowls at me from the floor. I look down at him. "What? You think this is a bad idea too?" Mushu meows at me before dashing off. I really should have gotten a dog instead.

I hear a knock at the door. Was it already time? I glance at my clock. Sure enough, it was. "Just a minute!"

Sliding on my heels and grabbing my clutch, I head to the door.

xXxXx

I stare at the open doors. Light and music pours through them. No turning back now.

"Let's go find Elijah," Micaiah stops at my side, offering me his arm, "Shall we?"

I take his arm. "Miles said he'd be waiting for us inside."

"Let's not keep him waiting any longer, then." Micaiah leads me towards the doors. "He might take our absence as an opportunity to slip out."

Inside, it doesn't appear to be a ball. From the balcony, I can see the dance floor, but only a few couples occupy its space. Everyone else stands about the large open room, chatting while the piano's chords float above them.

"Took you long enough to get here," Miles's voice says as he appears at my side.

"Now, now," Sofia stands at his side, "Elijah, loosen up. This is a party after all." Her eyes fall on me and she smiles. "It's nice to see you again Detective Fullin. I hope Elijah hasn't been too stubborn."

"Miles's stubbornness isn't something I can't handle," I tell her.

Sofia smiles. "Good. Now, I had best be off. If they are involved, then they'll be aware of the Night World. I don't want to accidentally ruin this plan by being present." With that, she turns and wanders off into the partygoers.

"Have you seen the Jones's, Miles?" I ask him.

"They got here shortly before the two of you did. They've since disappeared into the crowd."

Micaiah glances over the railing. "Well, we can't watch for them from here. If they notice us up here first, that might trigger a warning."

"We don't have comms so we can't exactly split up either," Miles puts in.

I study the room as the boys continue to speculate. The dance floor is mostly central and still mostly empty. "We dance." I begin heading to the stairs. Noticing neither boy is following me, I pause and look back. They're both staring at me. A thought strikes me. "Don't tell me neither of you can dance."

"No, he can dance," Miles points toward Micaiah, "But how is that going to help us find them?"

"No one is going to be able to tell if two dancers are casing the room. You'll just have to stay within view and find a way to be discreet."

"That's. . ." Miles tilts his head, "Actually not a bad plan."

"Thank you. Now let's go." I begin down the stairs again.

At the base of the stairs, Miles melts into the crowd and Micaiah offers me his arm. Taking it he leads me to the dance floor. The melody is slow and steady. Micaiah leads us into a waltz.

We easily glide across the floor. Through the turns and twists, I casually glance about the room. No sign of them yet.

"You're quite an excellent dancer," Micaiah says as we spin once more.

"I'm just glad the dance lessons are finally paying off," I reply easily twirling under my arm.

"You take dance classes in your free time?"