Kittie smoothed her silky curls down and fastened her headband shut with a shiny gem encrusted pin.  Her beads on her knee length dress slapped her thighs and her kitten heels were strapped fast.  She was ready for a night out with her best friend.  Star was still at the office, so Kittie planned on picking her up.  She dropped extra matches into her small clutch and grabbed the keys from beside the front door. 

"Here we go!" 

The drive to the office was uneventful and Kittie rolled to a stop and honked, letting Star know she was on the way up.  She grabbed the clothes she'd packed and opened the front door.  

"FREEZE!"  Kittie dropped her armload and had her gun out in one motion before she heard cackling from the top of the stairwell.  

"Oh lordy, you should have seen your face Kitten!  I could die!" 

"You almost did you twit. Now come down here and get your things."

"I can't. I'm already in my slip, do it for me?"  Kittie could practically hear the lip wiggle and sighed, tucking her gun back into her clutch and bending the scoop the pile of clothing.

"Idiot." She muttered.  

"What?" Star called. 

"Nothing Star, don't worry your pretty head about it!"

She signed one more time and started up the stairs after Star. 

Star fumbled for the headband that she'd placed on the stand near her mirror as Kittie made her way into the office with her dress and heels for the party. It was supposed to be a grand old fling based off Fitzgerald's novel. Star was going as Daisy and had to look the part down to a T so Kittie had asked around, finally finding a store that had several old fashioned but very classy dresses with dropped waists and silk fringes. They hardly resembled the dresses women were wearing nowadays but for the party, they were on point. 

She dressed quickly, shimmying into a black dress with that hugged her hips and flared out at the bottom near her knees like a mermaid tail. The plunging neckline and sleeveless straps were perfectly accessorized by a three strand necklace of pearls and a large gaudy ring on her hand. 

"Gimme some help will you? I can't buckle the damn shoe on my left foot." Star said, lifting her foot up onto the stool that stood between her and Kittie. 

"I like your hair, those curls are simply divine. Did I ever tell you that you could double for Clara Bow? I spent HOURS trying to get these idiot pin curls to settle into finger waves but I think I've managed pretty well. Anyway whose car are we taking? I hope there's food there, I'm starving and I mean as fun as it is to get drunk as a skunk, I'd like to get something to eat first."

Kittie laughed as she helped buckle Star's shoe.  Her best friend must be excited for the party the way she was talking.  And they needed an evening off.  She'd heard there'd be a big band there playing jazz from the era and everyone was expected to come in costume.  She smiled at the Clara Bow remark, more than one person had told her that and it always made her blush.  

"Oh, there'll be food, booze, music, dancing and a heard Old Professor Humphrey might even make us listen to a few pages of the book!"  She rolled her eyes.  "So God bless the booze eh?"  

She gave Star a hand up and gave her her clutch. 

"Let's take my car, it's older.  I'd let you drive but you might run over someone."  She giggled thinking of Star's character and got a whack on the bum from Star. 

"Very funny. Now let's get going!" 

"Eughh that old owl? I'd rather listen to toilet paper being read than have to hear him drone on. Couldn't they find someone upbeat to read a few pages? you know, give it a little oomph?"

She rolled her eyes and tapped her toe slightly, making sure the shoe settled right as she reached for her clutch. Secretly, she was glad they were taking Kittie's car because the dress she was wearing was one she'd have to hike clear up to her thighs to get any sort of leverage for the pedals in her car. 

"Ha ha very funny, I'd only run over somebody if they were Dec's mistress. Speaking of, where is the old egg is he still hiding or is he gonna join us on this shindig?"

The two of them made their way to the car, locking up the HQ behind them. Once at the party, they could hear the roaring jazz band from the driveway as they pulled up to the house and Star couldn't help but marvel at the transformation that had taken place. The Art Deco vibe was strong and the guests she could see were dressed to the nines with glittering beads, cloisonné jewelry, and over the top hats and accessories. Kittie had to pull on Star's hand to get her moving as she gawked at the splendor of the party, something she was too little to have appreciated back in the 20's.  

"Oh Star, isn't it just gorgeous?  I wonder what type of goodies there are inside?"  

She dragged Star past the band in the side yard and inside where tables of food and drink were laid out and where the Professor was greeting people as they entered.  As little as Star liked him, Kittie noticed she was gracious as ever, shaking the old gentleman's hand and greeting him warmly, thinking him for the party.  Kittie followed suit and then they were on to the party. And the party food.  

"Oh Lord." Star murmured.  "Is this a dream?" 

Star could hardly believe her eyes at the spread before them, absolutely gobsmacked at the sheer decadence. There were ice sculptures sitting on top of the long banquet table that was overflowing with fruit and cakes and other decadent treats. For a moment, Star was immersed in the book, and looked up, wondering if perhaps Jay Gatsby really was standing on a balcony overlooking the party. She grabbed onto Kittie's wrist momentarily to steady herself from the dizzying array of sights and sounds and smells, one of which was chocolate that was calling her name. 

"Katherine, look at this, it's chocolate melted in a pot and you can dip all sorts of things in i..." She gasped loudly, her hand reaching out for a fork to stab a square of cheesecake. "They have cheesecake Kittie, and strawberries. I've died and gone straight to heaven!"

Kittie giggled and grabbed a plate.  No reason to miss out on the decadence.  She loosely followed Star around the table, picking up delicious morsels here and there.  The bonbons covered in gold leaf caught her attention, and so did the grapes dipped in champagne and sugar.  There were plenty of savory offerings too, but Kittie figured once she danced a little she could come back for those.  

Star felt absolutely sinful eating that many sweets but the cheesecake covered in chocolate was simply divine. It was ridiculous just how much time, effort, and even money had gone into this party. Star and Kittie shared their goodies back and forth in between talking to old school friends and greeting others who were just as awed as they were by the spread. 

After they had eaten about as many sweets as they could stand, both girls made their way to the dance floor where they spent the greater part of an hour dancing the Charleston before the pace slowed slightly to a lively foxtrot. Kittie and Star whirled around the dance floor, finally ending their fast paced twirl on the two step Lindy Hop. 

As they caught their breath from all the excitement, both girls sipped champagne as the old man himself, Professor Humphrey, stood in the middle of the room and harrumphed to call attention to himself. In his hand, he held a well worn copy of the book and cleared his throat to read the passage where Nick had arrived at the outlandish party thrown by Gatsby. As he rumbled his way through the first few paragraphs, Star feigned a yawn and caught kittie's eye just as a high pitched scream rang out over the throng of rather drunk partygoers. 

Another moment passed as people whispered and jostled each other where, for a moment, it seemed as though Humphrey would continue in his gravelly voice. Kittie poked Star in the ribs just as another tipsy partygoer with her dress half off her shoulder came flying out from the corridor that had been blocked off. It was the hallway that led to the pool which had been strictly forbidden on the account that the professor didn't want life to imitate art. It seemed, however, that despite his best efforts, the young lady and her paramour had discovered that someone wanted to make the party all too realistic and indeed, there was a rich partygoer facedown in the pool, soaked in an ever increasing bloom of his own blood. 

While several partygoers took this to be a bad omen and many more began screaming and fleeing, Kittie spurred Star onwards TOWARDS the pool along with several other people who wanted to get a look at the grisly scene themselves, many of them still thinking it to be nothing more than a very convincing reenactment of the story. 

"Davis McMahon!" Kittie whispered to Star. 

"He's the bastard who stole my necklace at that party I was telling you about!" 

She pushed Star a little closer as she noticed a briefcase on the deck near the deep end of the pool. 

"That's his case.  We need to get closer to it."  She nudged Star forward then shouted. 

"Why, I think that's Peter McMillan!"  

A murmur went up from crowd as people turned to look at Kittie.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Star had successfully gotten to the other side of the pool and was now inches from briefcase.  Not knowing how to keep the attention from the dead man, Kittie did the only thing she knew how.  She fainted, into the pool. 

A loud gasp ripped through the crowd as Kittie fainted, her heavy beaded dress acting like a perfect weight which dragged her straight down to the bottom of the pool. Several strapping men dove in after her, trying to drag her dead weight back up to the edge of the water and in the melee, Star went unnoticed as she managed to ferret the suitcase behind a screen. In another moment, she had one of her hairpins jammed in the lock as she attempted to jimmy the briefcase open, hoping to find what she and Kittie were looking for.  

The lock made a satisfying click and she wrenched the suitcase open, finding exactly what Katherine had described. With quick fingers, she lifted the jewels and other objects out of the suitcase and dumped them straight down the front of her dress. After a bit of fiddling, she closed the suitcase back up, carefully pushed it out from behind the screen, and used a short makeshift corridor of privacy screens to slip through the back of the crowd where she joined in the shock and public outcry over the death of one person and close call of another. The shawl she'd had wrapped around her shoulders was perfect for covering up any unsightly bumps or bulges in her dress and she pulled it tighter as the host of the party finally managed to begin clearing people out. His bullfrog voice was hoarse with having to yell as people began shuffling away from the spectacle and back towards the front of the house. Kittie was awake and clinging onto the arm of an older gentleman who was carefully leading her away from the water where, moments later, she was joined by Star. 

"Are you alright darlin? You're all soaking wet! Lets get you home now, it won't do for you to catch cold."

Kittie had feigned the faint, but not the rock like plummet to the bottom of the pool. It took everything she had not to panic as the bead encrusted dress dragged her down like a super fancy anchor. Both of her strappy heels came off in the melee as several gentlemen threw themselves into the pool after Kittie.  She had nearly run out of air by the time they wrestled her above the water and up onto the deck.  While she was being fawned over and getting offered coats left and right, Star came into view, albeit upside down, and winked at her. Eventually she was gently led to her feet and was clinging to the arm of an older man who seemed intent on getting her away from the water as fast as possible.  Star came by and took Kittie by the other arm.

"Are you alright darlin? You're all soaking wet! Lets get you home now, it won't do for you to catch cold."

Kittie nodded miserably and although the man she was with was a doctor, she managed to convince him, and the professor that she would be best served if she was allowed to go home where she'd be able to take a bath and get into a change of clothes.  

Kittie's teeth were chattering by the time Star managed to get her to the car where Star managed to find a blanket in the boot to hand to her friend. It was still a bit sandy from their trip to L.A. but sand was better than pneumonia at least. She could hear Kittie's teeth chattering as they drove back to the big house she and Declan had recently purchased.

She carefully helped Kittie ascend the steps as Declan threw open the door and ushered his sister in. She was still wrapped in the blanket as he sat her in front of the fireplace to warm up while Star rushed around to run a hot bath and put the kettle on. The jewelry in her dress rattled about a bit so she was careful not to jostle them too much until she had returned with a cup of her homemade tea, thrusting the steaming cup into Kittie's hands. As Kittie took a long sip of the tea, Star carefully reached into her dress and began removing the delicate pieces. The necklace was first and then a strand of white pearls. From there she kept removing pieces of jewelry until she came to the last one, a diamond that caught the glow of the firelight and scattered dots of light across Star's nose. 

Star gasped in chorus with Declan and Kittie, marveling at the brilliant diamond that sat inside a delicate gold cage. The stars on the facet were cut so expertly that the gem seemed to glow from within when held up to the light and it took their breath away for a moment. Star placed it gently on the table, her fingers caressing the stars on the table of the stone. 

"I never thought I'd see the Star of Jamieson myself. A school friend, Daisy, she told me it was a family heirloom that belonged to her mum but it was lost shortly after she retired to Florida. This gem is a legend, I heard it had been carved up into smaller diamonds!"

Kittie's eyes widened when she saw the last piece of jewelry. 

"My Lord!  If that's the Star of Jamieson, then what's the diamond in the necklace?  When I acquired that gem I thought for sure that was the famed diamond, but if it's not, then perhaps it's another legendary gem?  When Davis stole my necklace and replaced it with the paste diamond he knew exactly what he was doing, I mean, he came ARMED with an exact replica of the necklace I was wearing, which means he knew I had it.  And I got it from Jenna Maloney who handed it to me just seconds before she drank strychnine.  It had belonged to her husband's mother.  Anyhow, it's obviously not the Star, so what is it? And is it why Davis got killed tonight? Or is the scamming bastard dead for other reasons?" 

She brushed the sand from the blanket from her shoulders and stood up, handing the tea back to Star. 

"Well, my time as a star diver is over thank goodness, I think I'm going to go take that bath you drew up and then go to bed."  

Kittie hobbled off to the bathroom and sank into the hot water, grateful the evening was finally done, and that Davis' unexpected death had turned into a roaring success for her and her best friend.  

Star was thankful that the house that she had bought had more than one bathroom and while Kittie unwound in the tub downstairs, she went upstairs to sit and think about their eventful night. Not only had they recovered a legendary diamond from one of the most renowned Dons in New York's history, there were also several other jewels that were steeped in a rich history, including the one Kittie had. After getting cleaned up, and a good night's rest, she and Kittie could go through the box and try to figure out where each piece had come from. 

That night, curled up next to Declan, her mind felt restless as she thought about the events of the night. She was worried for her friend after being in the pool for so long, and hoped she wouldn't catch cold from having been in her wet clothes out in the night air. She also wondered what they were going to do with all the jewelry. The Star of Jamieson in particular was a piece fraught with intrigue and mystery was a highly sought after jewel. It had been hand cut by the grandfather of Don Starshine shortly before her birth and engraved with a special message just for her. The loupe that came with it sat in a dusty velvet bag at the bottom of the box for which Star was grateful.

It struck her, in that moment, that the original owner and herself had very similar names. She hadn't quite thought of it before and it made her feel like an idiot but her mother had only once told her that she was named after someone important and had given up when all Star had asked "which one?" while pointing up at the night sky. Perhaps her mother had more of a connection to the Jamieson family than she'd let on. With that lingering thought, she finally managed to drift off to sleep and was rousted the next morning by the smell of coffee and something baked coming from downstairs. Declan was up early, whistling tunelessly as he flipped thick slices of French toast out of the pan and onto plates. Kittie shuffled out moments later and he pushed two plates in front of them, inviting them to sit down. 

"Heard you two had a bit of an adventure last night. Eat up an' then you can tell me what you two and your sticky paws lifted this time. Never thought I'd live to see the day where me sister and my fiancée were world class criminals."