Chapter 8: Mystery

She found herself humming and dancing as she finished getting ready for the party. As she had planned to have the café close earlier than usual today, it gave her ample time to return home. The drive was about forty-five minutes from her place, and she liked being on time.

"Wow, you clean up nice," Enora complimented.

Gil stepped out of the bathroom in his masquerade attire, looking effortlessly cool in it. He shrugged as he observed himself in the mirror on her bedroom door, and answered shyly, "You think so?"

"Of course. I wouldn't lie about that."

"You sure this isn't a ruse to get on my good side because I'm mad at you?"

She put her hands up in defense, "Hey, I said I was sorry! I'm not purposely forcing you to go. You have to be my plus one since Victor isn't here."

"He owes me for this. I hate parties," he mumbled angrily.

"Me too. Guess we can awkwardly be there together," she replied.

He released a sigh, "At least the theme is cool."

"That's the spirit!"

Enora tried to not to be too giddy for Gil's sake, but her mood was ecstatic. The adoption event had gone well, with eighteen out of twenty cats and dogs getting adopted, which helped the shelter immensely. Matteo had told her they were so happy with the results, that they were in for the next event. Now if everything else could go as smoothly, she would be eternally grateful.

"You ready?" Gil asked a few minutes later.

"Yes. Let's go."

***

AT CAITLYN'S HOME

They pulled up to the grand house, the lawn and walkway completely decked out in decorations and shining brightly in the dark. The music was so loud, they could feel the vibrations of the bass before they reached the door.

"Woah, this is a nice house. As well as...familiar. Does your friend throw a party for every holiday, like Saint Patrick's Day?" Gil asked, observing the neighborhood.

"Yup. She's the party queen, especially Saint Patty's since she's Irish. The last one I went to, I can hardly remember actually," she laughed.

"Then I've been here. One of my buddies got trashed at one of her parties. I was in charge of getting him and others home."

"Great, then you know how her parties are. Means you might have fun."

Caitlyn opened the door in an extravagant, floor-length dress that complimented her bright red hair. Her overenthusiastic greeting told Enora that she had already started drinking, which meant Nadine probably had as well. Inside was somehow more over the top in decorations than it was outside, but that was expected of her friend; it was go all in or not at all. Her sister appeared to receive her mask and give her a quick hug in greeting as she scurried off to check on the food.

When they entered the main room, the crowd split into groups of dancers, drinkers, and others mingling, Gill halted their steps. He scanned the area and bent down to whisper in ear, "There are other shifters here. I can tell. I thought you weren't friends with any."

Enora was unsure of how to answer. Technically, no, she wasn't friends with any shifters before Victor and Gil. However, she was acquaintances in a way because she knows people who are involved with them, romantically or otherwise.

"Well, I'm not, but I guess I knew there was a possibility they could be here. I'm sorry, I honestly forgot."

Gil sighed, "It's fine, but make a note of it next time. I'll be back in a minute. I have to step outside and make a call. "

She watched him go through the kitchen doors that led to the backyard, noticing a man following his movements as well and turning to face her once Gil was out of sight. An odd feeling settled over her when he did; she could feel his piercing gaze from across the room.

A hand touched her shoulder unexpectedly from behind, making her jump.

"Enny, is that you?"

"Nadine?"

"Yes! I finally found you! I kept tapping strangers and getting embarrassed. I think we look cool, but I'm starting to think these masks were a bad idea," she admitted, handing Enora a glass of wine.

"I have to agree. If your braids weren't bright pink, I may have spent all night looking for you," Enora chuckled.

"It's my saving grace," she smiled. "Where's Victor?"

"He couldn't come. He had something to do last minute involving work."

"That's too bad. How's he doing? He wasn't able to hang out last time, either."

"You know how he is with work. He'd live in his shop if he could," she lied, quickly sipping on her wine. She felt bad for lying, but she wasn't ready to tell the truth. She knew saying it aloud would make it stronger, add to its realness. Especially because a part of her continued to wish it wasn't real.

The music was low when Gil returned, and she briefly introduced the two as Cait began her announcement on the microphone.

"Hello everyone! First, I'd like to thank you all for coming to have fun and party." The crowd cheered enthusiastically and raised their cups.

"Next, the murder mystery shall begin shortly and the lights shall be shut off for a moment as a part of the game. From your invitation cards, you should know your role. Therefore, do not be alarmed if you are approached suddenly."

Everyone looked down at their card instinctively to check: Enora's read independent investigator.

"Finally, the game is timed so don't worry if you don't figure it out. I also ask you all finish or put down your drinks so there are no accidents, thanks. Now let's have fun!"

The crowd murmured lightly and began to move around, likely bracing themselves for the lights to go out. Nadine wedged herself between Enora and Gil to clutch onto their arms in fear, and they couldn't help but laugh at the action.

As soon as the lights went out, a scream echoed, making Nadine jump out of her skin with her own. When they could see again, a man–likely Caitlyn's husband–was in the center of the room with a sword through his chest. People began to shuffle around per the instructions, while Cait and two others approached the center with name tags that read: detective.

One of the detectives spoke first, bringing his hands up to get everyone's attention, "Alright! Nobody moves! This is a crime scene; be prepared for questioning."

"My card has witness on it and I have lines to say," Nadine said, as they approached the body.

"Mine too," Gil voiced.

"I have independent investigator. Guess I look around for clues alone," Enora added.

Gil turned to her, "I'll go with you."

"No, no. Stick to the game. I can do a quick lap and come back."

He made a face that meant he was thinking, "Alright, but not too far."

She moved away from them and scanned the ground, having watched enough cop shows to know that something would likely be there. As if on cue, she noticed a folded piece of paper beside a table leg adjacent to the victim. Someone bumped her shoulder as she moved to go grab it, and she saw it was the same mysterious man from earlier. She apologized and didn't look at him again; cautious of the odd vibes he had given off before.

On the paper was a scribbled sentence: Thomas, check the library. Her eyes went back to the victim whose nametag read Thomas. She thought for a moment. Either the victim wrote the note for themselves as a reminder or it was a lure to isolate them. Either way, she figured she had to go investigate the room.

The doors in the hall had labels to help everyone along. Two people were ahead of her, approaching a door labeled: the study, cautiously while looking at their cards for confirmation. Enora passed three other doors that indicated the maid and butler quarters, and the storage room, but no library. At the end of the hall however, stood two blank doors. She opened one and stepped inside, slowly feeling along the wall for a light switch, almost falling over a chair.

She had just found it, when someone shoved her forward and she lost her balance.