August 10, 1929

Luciola woke up to the smell of something burning and sat up with a jolt to see that the door leading to the kitchen was open. Dio was rummaging around in the refrigerator. He hadn't put a shirt on, and Luciola tried not to stare as he reached for his own clothes.

Dio glanced over at him. "Oh, you're up."

He looked past him, eyes flickering from the stove to the toaster. "Dio…what are you doing?"

Dio appeared to have finally found whatever he had been looking for in the fridge. "Breakfast. Good thing we bought that jam, huh?"

For a few moments, Luciola stared at him, fingers automatically doing up the buttons on his shirt. Finally, he spoke. "You're making breakfast?"

The white-haired boy turned to the toaster, snatching two slices of bread as they popped up. He looked rather insulted at the suggestion. "Why so shocked, Luce? Even I can make toast if I feel like it."

I know, but…I didn't expect him to actually do it. "Thank you."

Luciola ate his toast with butter, standing over the sink to catch the crumbs. Dio had his with strawberry jam, noisily sucking his fingers clean when he was done. As Luciola tried to block out the sounds, he spoke up. "Daphne called while you were sleeping. She told me she called the limo company for us, and they're open today. They said they couldn't open yesterday on account of the police investigating, but they're willing to talk to us now. It's too bad; there's a new movie out today I thought we could have seen, but I guess we have to work."

"Excellent. Let's go." Luciola buttoned his jacket. The sooner we talk to these people, the sooner we can wrap this case up.

"Wait!"

Luciola was already at the door, pulling his shoes on. "Sir?"

Dio's voice traveled from the bedroom, where he was presumably putting on his shirt. "We have to pick up Daphne too—she says there are still cops hanging around. She'll have to talk to them for us; we'll tell her we need her for moral support or something."

Moral support? As Dio returned—still trying to button his sleeve cuffs—Luciola frowned at him. The most he's ever been pulled over for is speeding, and as far as they know my record is clean. Then again…he's not exactly the kind of person you'd forget.

Dio sighed, letting his unbuttoned cuffs flop. "I give up. Come on, let's get out of here."

Luciola looked at him and sighed, grabbing his wrist. "I'd never be able to forgive myself if I let you go out looking like that." He did up the buttons quickly, shivering at the little jolt that ran through him whenever his fingers brushed Dio's skin. "There." He very pointedly did not meet Dio's eyes. This is ridiculous. He's my boss, for heaven's sake.

Daphne lived a few minutes away, in a neighborhood that was only slightly better than theirs. The paint on the door was only a little chipped, and there were no empty bottles smashed on the sidewalk. Luciola double-parked outside while Dio headed up to the door and rang the bell. Daphne appeared shortly, still pulling her jacket on. "Hey! Morning, boss! Are you going to Silvana Limos?" She looked past him to the waiting car. "Nice car." Her voice was tinged with sarcasm.

While Dio and Daphne chatted, Luciola tried to tune them out and focus on his driving. However, they proved impossible to ignore completely, and bits of their conversation—such as the fact that Daphne had once been a seamstress, or that Dio was a big fan of H.P. Lovecraft novels, or that they both shared a love for comedies—kept seeping into his brain as he navigated the streets. (1.)

The Silvana Limousine Company was a small building, fairly nondescript save for the huge garage attached to it and the enormous sign above the door. Just under the sign was a red-and-white striped awning, providing shade for the middle-aged man in a mechanic's suit smoking a cigarette underneath it. He glanced at them as they parked across the street and approached him. "You want a limo for tonight?"

Daphne blinked at him. "…Kostabi, right? You're the guy I talked to on the phone; I recognize your voice. These are my bosses, Luciola Beretta and Dio Eraclea. We'd like to know which limos were rented out on Wednesday."

He grinned at her. "So you're Miss Korakos. Come on in."

&

The inside of the building was cramped. A heavily modified Bentley was being worked on by a pair of mechanics, taking up most of the space. A desk had been wedged into a corner by the door; it was occupied by a young woman chatting on the phone and jotting down notes on a legal pad. Dio's eyes fell on a cop in uniform, lounging against the wall. As he kept a wary eye on the cop, he was vaguely aware that Kostabi was still talking. "I wasn't working that day, but Ethan was. Hey, Ethan!"

The sudden yell made him flinch. The mechanic in question—a young man barely a few years older than him—also jumped, hitting his head on the hood of the Bentley as he straightened up. "Ow! I'm coming, geez. What's going on?"

Kostabi smacked him on the back, hard enough to make him stumble. "You're going to help out these two gentlemen; they're investigating the Hamilton case. Just tell them what you know. I'll take over the maintenance." He ambled over to the Bentley, humming cheerfully.

Ethan's eyes widened, taking in Luciola's sharply pressed black suit and Dio's slightly wrinkled gray one. Dio grumbled and pulled his hat down as the mechanic's gaze flickered to his hair. "You were working here on Wednesday. Do you know who rented a limo that day?"

Ethan frowned, thinking out loud. "Well…one of our Bentleys broke down that day, so I spent most of my time fixing it. And then we had a visit from a client, so…"

"You have no idea who rented what that day. Correct?" Luciola's tone was so sharp and impatient that Dio almost felt sorry for Ethan.

"Umm…well, no." His eyes lit up suddenly as an idea occurred to him. "But Wina does. Her job is to keep track of all that stuff." He called over to the desk, "Hey, Miss Lightning! Could you look up all the rentals we had out on Wednesday?"

Wina didn't even glance up from her notepad. "Just a minute, sir…" She covered the receiver with her hand. "Not right now; I need to finish this call with Mr. van der Meer first." She turned back to the phone. "Sorry, sir. As I was saying…"

An awkward silence seemed to hang in the air around the small group clustered just inside the doorway. Finally, Ethan broke it. "Eraclea, huh? I think we had a customer with that name once…"

Dio paled and adjusted his fedora again, covering more of his hair. "No relation."

"Sorry. It's just your name…"

"You wanted to know about the clients for August 7, 1929, right?" Wina's voice cut through their halting attempts at conversation.

Dio fairly bounced over to her desk. Finally, a lead! "Yes! Who were they?"

She sighed. "The records for that day…they're illegible. I spilled coffee on the ledger. I'm sorry. You could ask the good officer propping up the wall over there—he'll tell you the same thing."

Oh no. Now where do we go? If we can't trace the car… Dio groaned.

Next to him, Luciola sighed heavily and reached for a cigarette. "Should we go, sir?"

Daphne shrugged. "Don't worry. We're bound to find another lead somewhere else."

Yeah… "Let's go. There are other places to look."

Two young women came through the door just as Dio reached it, and he had to stop short to avoid bumping into the first one. "Excuse me."

"Oh…sorry." One of the young women had kept her brown hair unfashionably long; her eyes were fixed on Ethan's, who was blushing furiously. Her companion sighed. Dio looked from her beaded silk dress to Ethan's oil-stained jumpsuit and raised an eyebrow.

Ethan stammered. "Uh…Alis, Miss Wisla, this is Mr. Eraclea, Mr. Beretta, and Miss Korakos. They're trying to solve the Hamilton case. Um…this is Alister Agrew and Tatiana Wisla."

Tatiana gave them a curt nod. "Nice to meet you."

Alister glanced at them. Her eyes were sad. "You're trying to help the Hamiltons? They were…well, not friends, exactly, but I knew them. I wish you well."

Daphne sighed and crossed her arms. "Thank you for the kind sentiments, Miss Agrew, but it doesn't really help when we have no leads."

Alister's gaze fell on Dio, and he squirmed uncomfortably. "Mr…Eraclea, right? I'm hosting a party at my home in Astoria next Friday night at seven. The Hamiltons were very popular, and many of their supporters will be there. If you attend, you might find someone willing to help. Dress formally." At Daphne's hopeful glance, she added, "You are all invited."

Dio and Luciola exchanged glances. Luciola looked skeptical, but Dio found himself smiling. The Agrews are rich and powerful. The Wislas are…not as rich, but they have friends in high places. Not as prominent as the Hamiltons, but still…anyone they consider important enough to invite to one of their summer parties might be able to provide us with some assistance. His eyes flickered back to Alister's. "Thanks. I'll have to check my calendar, but I think I can make it."

She smiled at them. "That's wonderful."

Ethan shifted his weight from foot to foot, staring at his dirty boots. "And, umm…if you need a limo to get there…"

Tatiana cut him off. "Tell your boss you won't be working that night."

"Eh? But—"

Alister's ears turned very slightly pink. "You can't be in two places at once, after all. And…I'd like you to attend my party."

&

"So why didn't you talk to the cop in there? He might have helped. Not that I'm not thrilled to be heading off to this shindig, but…you know, we need all the help we can get."

At least Daphne had waited until they were safely in the car to ask that question. Luciola put the car in gear, but did not pull out from their parking spot yet. I knew she would ask eventually. We should have gotten rid of her when we had the chance. He raised an eyebrow at Dio, who shook his head. Damn.

He did not turn to look at her as he pulled out into the street, but he knew she was waiting for a reply. Slowly, he spoke. "Mr. Eraclea and I…we have minor records with the police."

Dio jumped in. "It's nothing serious. A count of speeding, a littering charge—I told Luciola not to throw his cigarette butt out the window, but he didn't listen. Minor things, but I still get a little rattled around cops."

She stared out the window at the passing cars. "Hmm. I see."

They drove on in silence for a while. Eventually, Dio broke it. "Daphne, do you have any errands to do today? Since we're out anyway, we could drop you off someplace."

"Well…" She sighed. "I do have a dress to wear for that party, but it's kind of old and ratty-looking, so I wanted to spruce it up a bit. There's a big fabric store on 67 West. Could you drop me off there? I can take the subway home."

Who does she think we are, her chauffeurs? Nevertheless… "Sure." It's not much of a detour, anyway.

The sidewalk in front of the fabric store in question was packed. Luciola pulled up to the curb and let Daphne out; she waved to them before disappearing into the crowd. As they drove away, Dio turned to catch his eye. "Luce…you know, we still have the rest of the day ahead of us."

Luciola tilted his head, allowing him to keep one eye on Dio and the other on the road, which was apparently filled with bad drivers and asylum inmates. He had to raise his voice slightly to be heard above someone honking a horn behind him. "Yes?"

"There's still time for us to head over to the movie theater and see a show or two. Isn't the matinee on around now?"

As a young woman driving a Model T Ford even older than his cut him off, Luciola slammed on the brakes with a growl. Are the roads filled with idiots today or something? Then Dio's words filtered through his annoyance. "I suppose so. What movie did you want to see?"

Dio grinned. "It's called The Awful Truth. It's supposed to be a comedy. Ooh, and it's got Theo von Eltz in it! You know, from that movie we saw? (2.) I liked him in that one."

Luciola sighed. He had been with Dio for years, and he knew by now that when Dio had his heart set on doing something, nothing could distract him for long. "Fine. But when the show's over, we should go back to the apartment and make sure we actually have presentable outfits to wear to Miss Agrew's party."

Dio picked at a crease in his slacks. "Yeah…I should get this thing pressed. Do you remember if I packed my tux or not?"

"I don't recall." Speaking of tuxedos, did I bring mine?...Hmm. Yes; now that I think about it...God, don't let it still be in my suitcase. The wrinkles will take forever to iron out.

"Tickets for the Roxy aren't that expensive, right?"

Luciola started driving towards it almost automatically. He knew the way by heart; with nothing better to do, the two of them had often spent hours watching show after show in the vast and ornate theater. There was no chance of parking near the building, but they found a spot two blocks away and walked up. It was crowded with people of all races and ages, everyone who could afford a ticket. They bought their tickets and were directed to their seats by a smiling usher.

As they took their seats between an elderly couple and a young Asian woman, Dio casually rested his hand next to Luciola's on the narrow armrest. "Should be a good flick, huh?"

Luciola said nothing, trying to ignore the way his heartbeat sped up at the feeling of Dio's fingers on his. It's probably another silly, vapid comedy. But if it makes Dio laugh, then… "Yes."

They sat together in the dark as the lights dimmed.

&

Author's Notes

1. H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American author. You know the Cthulhu Mythos? He came up with the idea, as well as the Necronomicon. A major idea of all his work is that there are things out there that are fundamentally alien to us, things of unimaginable power and horror capable of destroying us with a thought. And the worst part is that these things don't hate us personally—they are far, far too insane for that. They could obliterate the entire human race without even noticing. Their very appearances defy the laws of reality; even seeing them or their minions can drive a person into gibbering insanity. They're all sleeping now, but one day they'll wake up and return to the world they once ruled, and all humankind's achievements will be as dust in the wind…and this is Dio's favorite author.

2. Theodore von Eltz (1893-1964) was an American actor who had parts in over 200 films during his lifetime. The specific movie Dio mentions having seen him in is The Four Feathers (yes, it existed before Heath Ledger did a remake of it). Theo played Lt. Castleton.