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turned to Bess. “Can you just walk me through this afternoon one more time? I know you were focused on Fiona, but did anyone leave the rehearsal for a prolonged period of time?”
    Before Bess could answer, Sebastian returned from the bathroom. “You guys are still talking about the dressing room? I thought the point of coming here was to give Maggie a break, get her mind off things,” he said. “She needs to relax so she can get a good night’s sleep tonight and be ready for tomorrow.”
    I was going to protest that I needed all the information I could get to solve this case before the performance. I had less than twenty-four hours, and we’d made very little headway so far.
    But looking over at Maggie and seeing how distraught she was, I realized Sebastian was right. We weren’t going to solve the case at the restaurant, and belaboring all the details wouldn’t help Maggie do her best tomorrow.
    I turned to Sebastian. “All right,” I said. “Tell us about you. You seem really young to be the pianist for the tour.”
    Sebastian finished chewing a bite of his salmon salad. “Well, my sister, Veronica, is a ballet dancer too.”
    â€œShe’s not just a ballet dancer,” Maggie added. “She’s a member of the New York City Ballet—Jamison’s only student to get into the company. Veronica is pretty much my idol.”
    â€œRight,” Sebastian said. “What she said. When we were young, my parents decided we should practice together, make sure we kept each other honest about how much time we put in. She’d dance while I played. By the time I was eleven, I was accompanying all her recitals, and when I was fourteen the school started paying me to play for classes and performances, so I’ve basically been doing it for most of my life.”
    â€œThat’s incredible,” Bess said.
    â€œHey,” Maggie said to Sebastian. “Have you heard from Veronica recently?”
    Sebastian shrugged. “I guess.”
    â€œI’ve been e-mailing, calling, texting. She never answers. What’s up with that?”
    Sebastian fidgeted with his napkin and took a big sip of his water. “Well, you know, she’s a pro now. She’s busy.”
    â€œToo busy to text her old friend?”
    Sebastian shrugged again. “I don’t know.”
    â€œOr does she not want to slum it with her amateur friends anymore?” Maggie said, visibly irritated.
    â€œI thought we agreed not to discuss Veronica,” Sebastian said quietly.
    â€œSo,” Bess said, desperate to change the subject before it got any more tense, “how did you two get together?”
    Sebastian and Maggie whipped their heads toward Bess in shock. Then they started laughing.
    â€œNo, no, no, no,” Maggie said. “Sebastian’s like my brother. I spent almost as much time at his house practicing with him and Veronica as I did my own.”
    â€œYeah, we’re just really good friends,” Sebastian confirmed.
    Bess blushed bright red. “Oh, I’m sorry! It’s just that with the way you interact, I thought you were a couple.”
    â€œIt’s okay,” Maggie said. “It happens all the time. We were even called into Jamison’s office about it once.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” George asked.
    â€œThe school doesn’t allow students to be in relationships,” Maggie said.
    â€œThey kick out dancers if they’re caught breaking the rule,” Sebastian explained.
    â€œSeriously?” George asked.
    Maggie shrugged. “Relationships are a distraction, and if you want to be a professional dancer, you can’t afford any distractions.”
    I wasn’t sure I agreed with that. Ned had helped me solve many mysteries. Sometimes if I was at a dead end and convinced that I wouldn’t be able to solve a case, it was Ned who gave me the confidence to keep going. He never asked