The Island With No Parallel

A Killer at the Party

"No, what happened?" Asked a tall blonde woman next to her that had been talking to Lucia most of the evening.

A man that was sitting on the other side of Lucia said, "You haven't heard that he died quite recently?"

The blond woman widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand in a very pretend look of shock. "No! When did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago. He died in his bed, I hear."

"How terrible,"

"Yes, and he was a friend of mine," Lucia lamented. "I just don't understand how he died so suddenly. He wasn't a sickly man at all. Yes, he was well off in his years, but he was always so vibrant and full of life. And to die so suddenly..." Lucia trailed off.

"Yes, but at least he is in a better place," commented a man that hadn't said anything yet. He was a rather short man with dark hair and a thick beard, a pair of rounded glasses over his small green eyes. "As you said, he was well off in his years, and I don't think he would have wanted us to be here with sad faces when we should be partying, wouldn't you say?"

Lucia's face flashed with rage, but as quickly as it appeared, it was replaced with a smile. "You're right," she said as she raised a glass to her lips. "We should be enjoying the party instead of sitting here lamenting all evening long. I apologize."

Lucia shot a look at Yunara and Kailu, and they got the hint. Keep a close eye on him.

Later the party moved to Lucia's ballroom, where she had a group of musicians playing light music and her guests began to dance. She used the opportunity to steal a moment with Yunara and Kailu. "You noticed the little man with the beard, yes?"

"Yeah, who is he?" asked Kailu.

"Luis Romero. He is a very cold and callous man, that I already know. He is a member of the Aracs, but like the other members here at this party, he has no idea that I know that. But I have a dozen other members of the party of that same description, though he does have an alibi. He was in northern France at the time. But it's possible he knows who did. Watch him."

Yunara and Kailu nodded in affirmation and Lucia rejoined herself with the members of her party. They neared Luis as instructed. He was surrounded by a few other people, and they were laughing about something. They followed him wherever he went, though from a distance. But according to Kailu, no one speaking with him said anything worthy of attention. Then, the blond woman that was sitting next to Lucia at the table before approached him, and they started talking. Luis offered her his arm, and they directed themselves towards where the other party goers were dancing and started dancing together.

Yunara and Kailu neared themselves to the dance floor, but as they did, Luis started looking in their direction, seeming like they had caught his attention for the first time.

"Stop," Kailu said to Yunara. "Let's watch them from the corner of the room instead. We won't be able to hear them, but this way he doesn't suspect anything. The music is louder here anyway, it would be pointless to try to listen."

"You're right. Let's go."

They discreetly made their way to the corner of the room and watched the odd couple from there, Luis being at least a head shorter than the blond woman that danced with him.

As they danced, the woman whispered something in Luis' ear, and Luis gave a slight nod. When the dance was over, Luis and the woman went two totally separate ways.

"Let's follow her," Kailu said, already heading towards her.

The woman made her way to the crowd of people that surrounded Lucia. The woman certainly had a charm about her. Her guests were enchanted by her. She had just let out a loud giggle when the blond woman had joined the conversation.