The Last Dance

‘You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.’ GENE KELLY ‘Almost nobody dances sober, unless they happen to be insane.’ H. P. LOVECRAFT

Miller tore open a bag of scratchings and got stuck in. As always, knowing how bad these crunchy slices of fried pigskin were for him and being well aware of the possibility that he might break a tooth at any moment only made the experience more enjoyable; gave it a salty frisson. It was basically Russian roulette with snacks. As far as the consump

It was a rule he tried to live by, one of the many things experience had taught him. Never get your hands dirty. Shaving your legs is a pain in the arse. If a piece of business needs doing, it’s always better to do it fast.

When it came to his abilities as a detective, Miller was not lacking in confidence – not usually, at any rate – but, if pushed, he might eventually concede that he was not always brilliant at reading the room. Or more specifically, the people in the room. That said, he required only a fraction more sensitivity than the average tree stump or doctor’

To the casual observer, gazing down from the top of the Tower perhaps, or from a penthouse apartment in one of the expensive blocks that have sprung up in recent years, this might be Las Vegas. If that casual observer really squinted. And had never been to Las Vegas.

Miller shook his head and patted the moped’s saddle. The grimy plastic had been patched up in several places with gaffer tape. ‘This’ll do me,’ he said. ‘Cheap and cheerful, like I am.’ Xiu nodded. ‘It’s also unreliable and makes strange noises.’ ‘Was that you making a joke?’ Xiu looked a little alarmed. ‘It certainly wasn’t intentional,’ she said.

The function room above the King’s Arms was not the most spacious in town and, as soon as the band had begun to assault their instruments, the few dozen local devotees of thrash metal willing to pay seven pounds fifty to risk permanent hearing loss had quickly coalesced into a frenzied, sweating mass of hair and leather. Men and women – mostly men

‘I’m serious. Why don’t you do your job and focus on working the murders in that hotel? On a case you can actually solve.’ ‘So you think I can solve it?’ ‘Well, if anyone can, it’s the man I was married to. He was almost as good a copper as he was a dancer and he was one hell of a dancer.’ Alex stood up, smiling as she moved across to stand close b

Miller could not always control his instincts, but he trusted them.