A/N: In case I don't get back here before the end of the month-after all, it *is coming close on Halloween, MYtime to shine. Once I whack down the forest primeval in my front yard so any kids who do show up don't get eaten by the weeds. Seriously, when I tried to grow corn it didn't get this high.

Halloween, 2016

If You Obey All the Rules, You Miss All the Fun – Katharine Hepburn

Halloween. My time to shine.

Being that Halloween was on a Monday, we checked around and found everyone else was talking about a Saturday bash. We immediately claimed Friday night and started sending out invites in early summer.

2016 was the 175th anniversary of the publication of Murders of the Rue Morgue, pegged by most scholars as the first published mystery. Just for the heck of it, we put out that it was to be a fancy dress/costume party, with the very loose theme "mystery and intrigue."

"Good luck with Gibbs," I said neutrally.

Ducky gave a philosophical shrug. "Attending in costume is not a requirement."

I blew a tiny raspberry. "Even Mother is coming in costume!"

That got a grin in response. Mother—Ducky's, that is—was dressing as Victoria from RED. (Since they shared a name, it would make it easy for her to remember.) She had loved the genteel way Helen Mirrin said, "I kill people, dear." I found a reasonable facsimile of the white gown from the scene with the VP kickoff party, a friend of Abby's whipped up a copy of the magnetic necklace, and another friend provided the Army boots and a plastic machine gun. Like Helen Mirrin, Mother managed to look smashing, boots and all.

Charlie and Lexi were a set—Ole Golly and Harriet from the book Harriet the Spy. Jimmy and Breena were coming as Nick and Nora Charles. Tony Di Nozzo had planned to dress up as Remington Steele (easy costume for him)—until he heard Mother's original plan of dressing as Laura Holt. He quickly switched to Wadsworth, the butler from Clue. (Also an easy costume.) (He had even convinced Ziva to come as Miss Scarlett.) McGee? I thought he was cheating, coming as Ellery Queen. But, hey, at least it was a costume.

Abby's costume was a secret, but she was coming as a spy—"Like Mata Hari or something like that! You know, slinky red dress, yadda, yadda, yadda."

Lily and Ev were Nancy Drew and George Fayne, my parents were Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. And Gibbs—

Sigh. Was I shocked when Gibbs showed up in jeans and a green polo shirt? No, not really. But he was smirking as he came in the door. "What's the joke?"

"You said to come in costume," he said innocently.

I gave him a "yeah, and?" look.

"I'm a homicidal maniac," he announced.

From around us, at least six people chorused, "They look just like everyone else!"

He gave me a smug look and wandered into the living room. Just when I think I have him figured out…

We had some creative showings. Sam Spade, the team from Law and Order (a good contender to win "best group"), Jack Ryan and Captain Ramius (complete with a toy submarine), Miss Fisher, Holmes and Watson (several), Lord Peter Wimsey, Jessica Fletcher—

"Mata…Hari?" I asked doubtfully.

Abby had streaked in—"Sorry-I'm-not-in-costume-I-can't-drive-in-it-I'll-be-down-in-a-sec!"—and galloped upstairs carrying a covered hanger in one hand and a small case in the other. A mere fifteen minutes later she strolled downstairs.

Strolled carefully. "What is that?" I circled her, cocking my head this way and that.

She grinned and pirouetted slowly. "It's part of an H-V-A-C system. It's like a giant spring but not as tightly wound, they cover it with a foil backed fabric, so I stripped it off and made it more form fitting—"

(Boy, was it.)

"—and covered it in red silk—" She had a fluffy "hat" of red and black feathers in her hair and a necklace of sparkling black jet beads.

"I'm not much of a costume Nazi like the SCA—but I don't think this is something Mata Hari wore…"

"Silly!" she giggled. She struck a pose, one hand on a hip, the other dramatically holding out her foot and a half long cigarette holder (with a candy cigarette in the tip). "It's a slinky red dress!"

I need a drink.

What walks down stairs,
Alone or in pairs
And makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing!
Everyone knows it's Slinky.
It's Slinky, it's Slinky,
It's fun, it's a wonderful toy.
It's Slinky, it's Slinky,
It's fun, it's a wonderful toy.
It's fun for a girl or a boy.…

Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs. (I may still use this as a title, but it was too apropos to leave out.)