From Ennui Enigma - A festive gathering that even Holmes might enjoy

Warmth and sound hit us the moment we opened the door, and yet another grumble carried from behind me.

"Stop complaining, Holmes. You said you would come, and it's only a couple of hours."

A louder grumble answered my remonstration. Holmes despised gathering and Christmas both, and I usually had to bribe him to mix the two in a Christmas party. A good amount of today's griping probably stemmed from the trick I had used to make him agree.

He had agreed, however, which meant he would not try to back out now—though even the quick reaction that prevented me from stumbling over a box in the entry contained an element of irritation. Lestrade glanced up from where he fixed a dangling decoration.

"There you are! Go on in. It's already in place."

"What is already in place?"

I pretended not to hear Holmes' question as a gesture both greeted and thanked Lestrade. Curiosity followed me towards the party far more willingly than he had followed from Baker Street.

"Watson, what are you planning?"

"Nothing." I had already planned it, after all. He easily saw my loophole.

"Fine. Then what did you plan days ago that Lestrade has implemented?"

"A case."

He glanced between me and the several dozen Yarders and their families mingling in the large room. "What case?"

"Someone in here has lost an item." I barely hid a smirk at the glimmer of interest instantly visible. We had done something similar before, but this version would take quite a bit longer. "They do not know that they are missing something, but the thief hid the stolen item somewhere in this or a neighboring room. Identify both item and thief, and find the item, before the party ends to solve the case."

Keen eyes already flicked between conversations. "Do I get any clues?"

Effort maintained a dry tone rather than the amused smirk I wanted to display. "I imagine the person will eventually notice there's a thief at the Yard's Christmas party."

His grimace announced his opinion on that, but he wandered away when I finally let my amusement show. By the time I joined a conversation debating a variety of cooking techniques, he had started scouting the decorative plants—or pretending to, while he eavesdropped.

He might enjoy the party, after all.

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