I waved back and did my own pantomime, pointing to myself and then to the kitchen, holding up one finger. I ducked into the kitchen, then went through the door to the back hallway. I didn’t want to be put on the spot about the conference. I didn’t think I was going to say yes, but I didn’t want to have to say no.

The noise of the party was distant, like a football crowd heard on television. I pushed the elevator button. I could say hello to Ed, hang out with him until the coast was clear. The elevator traveled up to the third floor and the door opened. The room was dim except for the sconce lights on the far walls.

I took a few steps forward. “Ed?”

“Not here,” said a man’s voice, a figure rising up from the hammock as I yelped.

The elevator door had already closed. I reached behind me, scrabbling for the buttons.

“Whoa,” the man said. “Ed went downstairs for something, he’ll be back.”

I was trying to unfreeze my breathing. “Somebody said he was up here.”

“And he was.” I couldn’t tell anything about him, except he didn’t sound like a kid. “You just missed him.”

“Okay, good, never mind,” I said idiotically. The man started to get out of the hammock, then seemed to think the better of it. I realized that I’d taken one of the picks out of my hair and was holding it in my fist, dagger style.

“How about I just stay here,” the man said. “In case you’re some kind of ninja.” I couldn’t see his face; he was just an outline in the dark. There was a light over the elevator panel so I guessed that he could see me. When I didn’t say anything, he said, “There’s supposed to be a view from here. Hard to tell at night.”

“There’s a sort of view. You have to work at it.”

“How’s the party going?”

“Going good.” I was trying to find a way of casually putting the hair pick back, but part of my hair had fallen down, and it wasn’t going to work. “I’m just taking a break from it. To see Ed.”

“I guess Ed’s been taking a break, too. I’m sure he’ll be back up in a minute.”

“That’s all right, I guess I can see him later.” I pressed the elevator’s down button. It was one of those nervous situations that you didn’t want to turn into a crime scene.

“Sorry if I startled you.”

“Sorry if I was getting ready to attack you.”

“Don’t apologize. Excellent reflexes.”

We had to wait another minute for the elevator to get there. When it did, I got in. “Well, goodbye. Enjoy the view, if you can.”